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Chris McCarthy

South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone

David Ellison and the Penis Politics of ‘South Park’

The would-be owner of Paramount scores the F.C.C. greenlight and survives the latest threat to the deal via Trey Parker and Matt Stone, whose outrageous (and nude) parody of Trump comes days after one of the most contentious talent negotiations I’ve covered.
Matthew Belloni • July 25, 2025
Matthew Belloni • October 15, 2024
David Ellison Will See You Now
david ellison
Paramount’s new mogul and his post-merger deputy Jeff Shell are taking meetings with their top executives, as plans for the storied studio—and especially its streaming video ambitions—come into clearer focus.
William D. Cohan • June 5, 2024
The Shari Soap Opera’s Final Twist
shari redstone
Unimaginably, Shari Redstone has reintroduced a dealpoint that threatens to nuke the Paramount sale. Will Gerry and Ellison blink? And will Mario Gabelli, the aggrieved longtime investor, finally wet his beak?
Shari Restone is said to be unwilling to pull the trigger on the Skydance deal just yet, despite the Paramount shareholder meeting today.
Matthew Belloni • June 4, 2024
Shari’s Moment of Hard Truth
The sweetened Ellison/Skydance deal is Redstone’s if she wants it. So why is she wavering?
bob bakish
Matthew Belloni • April 30, 2024
Not Great, Bob Bakish!
A corporate eulogy for a Redstone yes-man as Shari finally turns on the guy she plucked from obscurity and empowered through Paramount’s troubled foray into the streaming wars, until he quietly sought to sabotage her planned sale to Skydance.
Paramount Global chairwoman Shari Redstone and C.E.O. Bob Bakish in 2017.
Matthew Belloni • March 6, 2023
Why Won’t Shari Redstone Sell Showtime?
Paramount’s owner and her C.E.O., Bob Bakish, thwarted a $3 billion-plus bid from David Nevins in favor of their own plan to merge Showtime with Paramount+. But some analysts and company investors think that’s as insane as five ‘Billions’ spin-offs.
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 • February 21, 2023
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.
David Nevins
Matthew Belloni • October 7, 2022
How David Nevins Became the Odd Man Out
The erudite Showtime and Paramount+ executive became the victim of declining fiefdoms, Bakish-proximity, Taylor Sheridan’s ascendancy, and grim linear realities for Paramount Global and all of Hollywood.
trevor noah
Matthew Belloni • October 3, 2022
Trevor Noah’s Moment of Zen
The ‘Daily Show’ star had nearly two years left on his contract, but it wasn’t a secret that Noah struggled to balance a nightly talk show with other ambitions, and MTV’s Chris McCarthy had few options but to let him leave. The franchise will continue, but the economics may never be the same.
Kevin Costner and Taylor Sheridan
Matthew Belloni • January 7, 2022
The Triumph and Tragedy of ‘Yellowstone’
The story of Yellowstone is the story of modern Hollywood—complete with all the egos, dysfunction, botched strategy pivots, the #metoo movement, and, despite it all, incredible creative execution and financial windfalls. Here’s what actually happened, according to multiple sources close to the show.