Los Angeles, California – Paramount Global is making changes to its diversity, equity, and inclusion programs in response to directives from the Trump administration as they seek approval for a deal with Skydance Media. The company announced these alterations in a memo to employees from co-CEOs George Cheeks, Chris McCarthy, and Brian Robbins.
The Trump administration has been focused on shutting down DEI initiatives in both the federal government and the private sector. In compliance with new mandates, Paramount will no longer set numerical goals related to race, ethnicity, sex, or gender for hires. The company has also stopped collecting this data from U.S. job applicants, unless legally required.
Additionally, Paramount has removed a diversity metric from its incentive plan that tied funding to the success of DEI initiatives. They will now base a portion of their funding on a metric focused on workforce culture and development, emphasizing inclusion and leadership development.
In light of these changes, the company emphasized their commitment to attracting talent from diverse backgrounds. Other media companies such as Amazon Studios and Disney have also made adjustments to their DEI policies.
The memo from the Paramount chiefs coincided with the announcement of the company’s fourth-quarter 2024 earnings results. They expressed their expectation for the $8 billion merger with Skydance to be finalized in the first half of 2025 pending FCC approval.
Amidst these developments, former President Trump has filed a lawsuit against CBS News over a “60 Minutes” interview, alleging deceptive editing. The lawsuit, seeking $20 billion in damages, could influence the FCC’s review of the Skydance-Paramount merger.
FCC Chairman Brendan Carr, appointed by Trump, has initiated an investigation into the DEI practices of Comcast and NBCUniversal. Comcast has stated its willingness to cooperate with the probe, asserting their commitment to integrity and respect for employees and customers. Notably, CBS is facing a lawsuit challenging its diversity hiring practices.
As the landscape of DEI initiatives continues to evolve in the media industry, companies like Paramount are navigating the intersection of policy changes, leadership development, and cultural inclusivity to meet the demands of a changing marketplace.