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Puck’s Biggest Stories of 2023

In the past year, Puck’s expanding roster of superstar reporters broke the news surrounding Shari Redstone’s fire sale, Kevin Costner’s war with Yellowstone, Chris Licht’s CNN ouster, and Kylie Jenner’s foray into fast fashion, just to name a few. Herewith, 15 of the biggest stories that defined this year.

When rumors leaked earlier this month that Yellowstone may end after its current fifth season because Kevin Costner is locked in a standoff over his shooting dates, few associated with the show were surprised.
Matt Belloni reported on Kevin Costner's standoff over his Yellowstone shooting dates. Photo: Richard Bord/Getty Images for Cannes Lions
The Editors
December 19, 2023

It was yet another rollicking year at Puck, as we chronicled some of the biggest stories across Washington, Wall Street, Silicon Valley and Hollywood, expanded our coverage into the fashion industry, and announced an exciting new category with John Ourand and the business of sports. Bill Cohan reported the true inside story of the final days of Silicon Valley Bank. Julia Ioffe published some of the year’s most profound writing on the wars in Israel and Ukraine. Dylan Byers offered the definitive accounting of the manifold dramas at CNN. Teddy Schleifer visited Sam Bankman-Fried under house arrest. Matt Belloni scooped the news of Shari Redstone’s newest suitor. And much, much more. 

As we reflect on the most engrossing storylines of 2023, we want to extend our most heartfelt appreciation to the Puck community during this moment of transformation in the industry. We literally couldn’t do it without you. If you’re not already a subscriber, we hope you’ll join us in 2024. In the meantime, you can catch up on the inside conversation with 15 of Puck’s biggest stories from 2023…

When rumors leaked earlier this month that Yellowstone may end after its current fifth season because Kevin Costner is locked in a standoff over his shooting dates, few associated with the show were surprised.
Matthew Belloni
Casualties of the Costner-Yellowstone Crossfire
Taylor Sheridan and the cast, crew, and executives behind TV’s No. 1 show have been frustrated by its star’s ego and unavailability for years. Now, as new details emerge in a standoff over Costner’s shooting days, Paramount’s Redstone and Bakish are ready to place their bet on the Sheridan-verse.
Sam Bankman-Fried
Theodore Schleifer
The Only Living Boy in Palo Alto
Scenes from a surreal, often sad, otherworldly visit at home with Sam Bankman-Fried.
Tara Palmeri
Inside the Trump-CNN Thunderdome
On CNN, it sure looked like Trump won over the crowd during his town hall interview with Kaitlan Collins. But the reality was different in the room—and in the state of New Hampshire.
Julia Ioffe
Tragedy in Israel
Those who talk about a two-state solution are living in a world that hasn’t existed for a decade. Both sides have hardened to an exclusionary extreme that precludes compromise or coexistence. The events of the last week will ensure that even the embers of those hopes are doused cold.
A scrum of security guards, reporters, and customers outside of Silicon Valley Bank a few days after it collapsed.
William D. Cohan
The Last Days of SVB
A double-Goldman scramble, a “wall-cross,” an equity book that wasn’t, a Moody’s downgrade crisis, and a board mulligan: the real story about what went down during the final days of Silicon Valley Bank.
Chris Licht
Dylan Byers
Licht’s Out
The embattled CNN C.E.O. will be leaving the company, and longtime beloved top executive Amy Entelis will steady the ship until Zaz picks a new leader. It’s been a hell of a week since The Atlantic story dropped, and yet here goes another reinvention.
Kylie’s new brand remains in stealth mode, but the Gredes’ team have begun interviewing candidates for certain positions without telling them anything about the project.
Lauren Sherman
Kylie Jenner Answers to the Higher Calling of Fast Fashion
Kylie will be fronting a line developed by Jens and Emma Grede, the geniuses behind Skims and other Kardashianwear.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s campaign has arrived at a perfect moment of deteriorating social trust.
Baratunde Thurston
R.F.K. Jr. & the Latest Kennedy Tragedy
Why would someone with so much, and who has previously done so much good, give it up to become a conspiracy-hawking Connor Roy?
Robert De Niro texted his girlfriend, regarding his former assistant: “The balls, the nerve, the chutzpah, the sense of entitlement: how dare her!”
Eriq Gardner
De Niro and the Nastiest Assistant Legal Saga Ever
A $6 million suit, five million frequent-flyer miles, and angry allegations of jealousy: don’t be surprised if De Niro’s legal battle with an assistant becomes as influential as ‘Taxi Driver.’
Netflix’s resuscitated surprise hit ‘Suits,’ in many ways, is a perfect illustration of how to measure success in this new streaming age.
Julia Alexander
‘Suits’ Success & the Future of Netflixonomics
The surprise mega-performance of the underwhelming Sussex-adjacent series underscores the power of Netflix’s transformation from the era of hypergrowth to the age of super-retention.
By July and August, when he went viral for karaoke-rapping Eminem at the Iowa State Fair, Ramaswamy was basking in the glow of newfound political fame.
Peter Hamby
Death of a Salesman
The brief rise and rapid fall of Vivek Ramaswamy is a pretty good indicator that even in the chaotic universe of Republican politics, with its shameless demands and perverse incentives, certain rules still apply. Among them: People have to like you.
Tucker Carlson
Tina Nguyen
Murmurs from the Tucker Bunker
Carlson’s post-Fox News viral jihad is merely step one in an evolving bow-tied rage campaign that is aimed at the hearts and minds and wallets of the 18-54 online-only MAGA demo.
Estée Lauder C.E.O. Fabrizio Freda with Jane and Ronald Lauder.
Lauren Sherman
American Beauty
On the past, present, and uncertain future of Estée Lauder.
Shari Redstone arrives at the Sun Valley Resort for the annual Allen & Company Sun Valley Conference on July 10, 2018, in Sun Valley, Idaho.
Matthew Belloni
Shari Inches Toward Parting With Paramount
Skydance is kicking the tires on the Redstone assets. David Ellison and RedBird’s Gerry Cardinale are taking the lead, but it’s super early, and a potential deal could take several different shapes.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken rarely veers off script in public, or with the press, and sticks religiously to his office’s talking points.
Julia Ioffe
Just Spoke to Blinken…
A candid conversation with the Secretary of State about the war in Ukraine, the U.S.’s commitment, oligarch asset seizure, the G20, China, and more.

The Editors • December 11, 2023
Puck’s 2023 Guide to Mirth & Merriment
The Redstone family’s 10 percent economic stake in Paramount Global is now worth $1.1 billion.
William D. Cohan • December 10, 2023
Shari’s Heirloom Sale & Iger’s Peltz Defense
The Editors • October 17, 2023
Introducing The Powers That Be: Live