Stephen A. Deal Points, Ozempic Aftershocks, Tina Brown on Trump

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

First up today, Matt Belloni unravels a lawsuit filed by the parent company of once-mighty P.R. firm PMK against a cohort of the agency’s former employees. Sure, the case underscores how the firm’s fortunes have declined over the years—but, as Matt notes, it also reveals how Hollywood’s P.R. landscape has radically changed.

Plus, below the fold: Lauren Sherman scoops the appointment of Matthieu Blazy at Chanel and the behind-the-scenes action that precipitated his exit from Kering. John Ourand decodes the true valve of Stephen A. Smith’s soon-to-be-historic ESPN deal. And Tara Palmeri explains how the potential collapse of Pete Hegseth’s nomination to lead the Pentagon could scuttle other Trump appointees’ chances, too.

Meanwhile, on the pods: Ana Andjelic joins Lauren on Fashion People to scrutinize the new Ozempic-fueled “thin is in” narrative. On The Town, Matt invites Sing Sing filmmakers Clint Bentley and Greg Kwedar on to dissect their equal pay experiment. On Somebody’s Gotta Win, Tara huddles up with Chris Cillizza and Michael LaRosa to evaluate Biden’s legacy. On Impolitic, John Heilemann and legendary magazine editor Tina Brown discuss the sordid state of American politics and media. On The Grill Room, Dylan connects with former Hearst Magazines president Troy Young to probe what went wrong at WaPo and CNN. And on The Powers That Be, Peter Hamby and John Ourand dig into ESPN’s Stephen A. strategy.

MATTHEW BELLONI

It was telling to see the parent company of what’s now called R&CPMK sue a group of defectors on Thanksgiving eve—the latest sign that the Hollywood talent P.R. business isn’t what it used to be, and neither is PMK.

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LAUREN SHERMAN

Behind the scenes of new Chanel designer and Lagerfeld heir Matthieu Blazy’s exit from Kering, plus the unexpected leading candidate to replace him.

JOHN OURAND

The true value of Stephen A. Smith’s soon-to-be historic ESPN deal isn’t the $20 million annual salary or the half-decade term. Rather, it’s what’s not included.

TARA PALMERI

The president-elect has stopped working the phones for Pete Hegseth, and Ron DeSantis may be on deck, amid cascading scrutiny of Trump’s most controversial nominees.