Skoll & Crossbones, ESPN Musical Chairs, Swift’s TikTok Micro-drama

Happy Friday and welcome back to The Daily Courant, your afternoon compilation of Puck’s best new reporting.

First up today, Matt Belloni presents an inside account of the shuttering of Participant Media, eBay billionaire Jeff Skoll’s beloved social-impact-driven studio—a “sucker punch to Hollywood” that featured a Goldman-led last-ditch sales effort, and a failed lifeline from Eric and Wendy Schmidt.

Plus, below the fold: Tara Palmeri charts the eruption of G.O.P. dark money groups. John Ourand digs into ESPN’s quest to replace ousted exec Norby Williamson. Lauren Sherman gets the skinny on Rebecca Minkoff’s Real Housewives revival. On The Town, Matt is joined by Nathan Hubbard to unpack Taylor Swift’s strange return to TikTok. And on The Powers That Be, Julia Alexander and Peter Hamby marvel at the head-spinning ascent of Tubi, and detail why its SVOD competitors should take notes.

MATTHEW BELLONI

Jeff Skoll, the eBay billionaire behind Participant Media, was happy to take risks and lose money on “important” projects like Oscar winners ‘Spotlight’ and ‘Green Book.’ But after a year of trying to sell, including a potential lifeline from Eric and Wendy Schmidt that went south, he shut the company down. Why?

TARA PALMERI

With McConnell waving the white flag and the Trump tax cuts expiring, Republicans are racing to set up dark money receptacles for corporations and kingmakers with the hopes of buying influence in a G.O.P.-dominated Senate.

JOHN OURAND

Shockingly, given its traditional insularity and promote-from-within culture, ESPN is looking externally to replace Norby Williamson. And I’ve got names that should be on the list…

LAUREN SHERMAN

The aughts-famous handbag designer is preparing for a revival on ‘The Real Housewives of New York,’ making her merely the latest fashion person to leverage the cringey show for a new look.