Bill Maher had a message for his new Skydance bosses ahead of the Paramount-Warner Bros. merger closing, urging them not to believe everything Donald Trump has to say about him.
The comedian touched on the merger during Friday’s monologue on “Real Time With Bill Maher,” where he pondered his fate and who, exactly, he would report to.
“Hey, finally, big news for us. And when I say us, I mean you people who are here every week with me,” Maher said at the end of his Friday night remarks. “The merger went through. You know that Paramount now owns Warner Discovery, which owns HBO, which owns my ass. So I am owned by – I don’t know.”
As he went on, Maher made one request for HBO’s new owners, noting, “You know what? Whoever owns me now, don’t believe what Trump is tweeting about me.”
Maher then called out Trump’s latest Truth Social rant about him. For those who missed it, Trump wrote on Monday, “Bill Maher’s ratings are so low that it is hard to believe his show can continue. In many ways it’s SAD because, in actuality, I like him. Republicans should stop using him as a sounding board, however. It makes them look sooo weak and foolish!”
Maher assured he was not rattled by the president’s latest jabs, informing his audience: “You know, Mr. President, your insults don’t bother me. Make up whatever s–t you want about me. Just don’t mention I went to Cornell.”
Maher, who attended the Ivy league institution in the mid-’70s, brought up his alma mater as it faces scrutiny for their handling of an alleged gang rape at the Chi Phi fraternity in 2024.
As for the Paramount-Warner Bros. merger, updates have been pouring in after Judge Araceli Martínez-Olguín approved Paramount’s settlement with 12 state attorneys general on Wednesday– which put the $110 billion merger on track to close next week. Since then, Mattel CEO Ynon Kreiz has joined David Ellison’s company as co-CEO, CNN CEO Mark Thompson is slated to stay on at the newly merged company and Warner film chiefs Mike De Luca and Pam Abdy departed their roles.
On Friday, Ellison confirmed that the combined Paramount-Warner Bros. would be called Skydance moving forward.
“Paramount and Warner Bros. shaped over a century of culture. By combining them, we aren’t rewriting history — we’re equipping these iconic studios with a more powerful engine,” he shared Friday morning. “Together, we are Skydance: a creative-first home for bold, quality storytelling.”
“We chose this name for a few important reasons. First and foremost, as we bring Paramount and Warner Bros. together, we wanted to preserve what has made each of these studios iconic. Both have distinct identities, extraordinary legacies and brands that have resonated with audiences for generations,” he continued in his statement. “We never wanted a new corporate identity to diminish, alter or overshadow either one. Instead, we wanted a name that would give the combined company an identity of its own while allowing Paramount and Warner Bros. — and all our extraordinary brands — to remain in the spotlight.”
