Questions remain in regard to the much-discussed Paramount Skydance/Warner Bros. Discovery merger, which has been temporarily halted by a federal judge. In the meantime, media pundits continue to debate the impact of the massive deal going through. As part of that, Paramount would gain control of the WBD-owned CNN, and CBS News Editor-in-Chief Bari Weiss may be called upon to run it. Not everyone is happy about the prospect of this ownership change and, unsurprisingly, Rosie O’Donnell is one of those people.
O’Donnell – who’s guest-hosting Jimmy Kimmel Live! this week – has long shared her views on developments within the cable and TV news sphere. The left-leaning pundit specifically spoke about the Paramount/WB merger during an interview with Variety. O’Donnell specifically addressed the notion of Paramount’s David Ellison and co. possibly gaining control of CNN and explained why she wouldn’t feel good about such a development happening:
It would be like Fox taking over all news channels. Imagine if Fox was not one outlier and Fox was the mainstay? That’s what’s happening with Hollywood now and the Ellisons, and it’s tragic.
As of this writing, Ellison has stated that CNN will not change drastically should he acquire it. While Ellison hasn’t spoken about who will take the reins should the brand fall under his purview, it’s been rumored that Weiss will run it alongside a seasoned broadcaster O’Donnell went on to reveal her displeasure with Weiss’ dealings at the Eye Network. The comedian specifically referenced the changes made to 60 Minutes in recent months, which involved multiple producers and correspondents being relieved of their positions:
Look at what’s happened to CBS News and ‘60 Minutes,’ which was the gold star of their entire network, and they blew it up. This Bari Weiss person, I don’t know how she can live with herself. There are people who are sidling up to him and history will record all of their names, what they did, and who they stood next to.
Ahead of O’Donnell’s critiques, former 60 correspondent Scott Pelley accused Weiss of “murdering” the news magazine show. On a different occasion, CNN alum Jim Acosta also expressed his hope that Weiss would not “murder” the series. Many of these comments have apparently stemmed from claims of political partiality from Weiss, which she has denied. Nevertheless, other CBS alums have made claims of "journalistic interference” against the Free Press figurehead.
There are those who’ve come to Weiss’ defense, however, as CBS Evening News anchor Tony Dokoupil expressed support and said he hadn’t witnessed any editorial tampering. Newly minted CBS analyst Tony Phillips also gives Weiss the benefit of the doubt, saying the “great thing about her is that she’s one of those people who will either change the world or crash and burn.” It’s also been reported that Ellison remains bullish about Weiss’ ability to run the news organization.
Nevertheless, Rosie O’Donnell doesn’t seem so confident about a changing of the guard at CNN amid the continued discussions surrounding the Paramount/WB merger. Time will tell if the deal surpasses the final hurdles and is finalized.
