Sen. Elizabeth Warren is once again speaking out against the merger between Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery, warning that the deal would be “bad for everyone” by using the history of “Severance” as an example.
“Here is the most eerie thing about the TV show ‘Severance’: Shows like ‘Severance’ could go away entirely if a single studio has a monopoly control over Hollywood — and that’s something that Donald Trump is trying to enable,” Warren shared on X on Monday. “For years, the ‘Severance’ script was shopped around and it just didn’t land. And so finally, after a long time trying, a studio picked it up. But what if there weren’t a bunch of different studios to go to?”
“If the creator of ‘Severance’ had just one, maybe two studios to be able to pitch, there probably wouldn’t have been a ‘Severance’ at all. And understanding this: Huge media mergers, they’re bad for everyone — your prices could go up, people could love their jobs and you’ll have fewer options when you turn on the TV,” she continued. “So when Paramount wants to buy Warner Bros. and Paramount just happens to be controlled by the Trump-aligned family, The Ellisons, we have a real problem.”
“Listen, I know I don’t want all my movies and TV shows to be controlled by some Trump-aligned dynasty, and that’s why I’m speaking out on this,” Warren concluded. “We can’t let Donald Trump control everything that appears on our screens. No way.”
Indeed, series creator “Severance” Dan Erickson first developed the sci-fi thriller in 2015 alongside executive producer Ben Stiller before Apple TV (+) eventually picked it up in 2019. The Adam Scott-led show then premiered in February 2022, with Season 2 airing in early 2025 and Season 3 still to come.
Warren previously questioned how Paramount won the WBD bidding war over Netflix is February: “A Paramount Skydance-Warner Bros. merger is an antitrust disaster threatening higher prices and fewer choices for American families. What did Trump officials tell the Netflix CEO today at the White House? A handful of Trump-aligned billionaires are trying to seize control of what you watch and charge you whatever price they want. With the cloud of corruption looming over Trump’s Department of Justice, it’ll be up to the American people to speak up and state attorneys general to enforce the law.”
The Paramount-WBD deal is on track to close by the third quarter, despite State Attorneys General sending subpoenas for a DOJ investigation into Paramount Skydance. If the deal is not closed by Sept. 30, WBD shareholders will receive a 25 cent per share “ticking fee” for each quarter until closing; in the event that the deal does not close at all due to regulatory matters, Paramount will pay WBD a $7 billion termination fee.
