In a letter to Senate Democrats, the general counsel for Skydance says it has “fully complied” with all laws, including anti-bribery laws, while completing its merger with Paramount, TheWrap has learned.
Stephanie Kyoko McKinnon also noted that the studio was not involved in the decision to cancel “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert.”
The letter was sent in response to one written by Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Bernie Sanders (D-VT) and Ron Wyden (D-OR) amidst President Donald Trump’s claim that Paramount Global’s $16 million settlement of his lawsuit against CBS also came with an additional commitment of $16 million in public service ads.
“Throughout its history and during the review of the proposed acquisition of Paramount, Skydance has fully complied with all applicable laws, including our nation’s anti-bribery laws,” Skydance’s McKinnon wrote.
With regards to Trump’s lawsuit over a “60 Minutes” interview with former Vice President Kamala Harris, Skydance says it “was neither a party to the lawsuit nor to Paramount’s settlement of its litigation with the president.” McKinnon noted that under the terms of the merger deal, “Paramount had full discretion to settle any outstanding litigation unrelated to the transaction for up to $50 million without Skydance’s consent.”
As for the “Late Show” cancellation, McKinnon wrote that Paramount did notify Skydance that it would be ending the three-decade-old late night talk show, “but only after Paramount reached its own independent decision, and shortly before Paramount publicly acknowledged the cancellation.”
Colbert announced the end of “The Late Show” on July 18, with the show coming to an end when its current season with CBS ends in May 2026. The announcement was immediately met with criticism from Democrats who saw the cancellation as politically motivated, pointing to the announcement coming four days after Colbert called Paramount’s settlement of Trump’s lawsuit a “big fat bribe” to get the Federal Communications Commission, led by Trump appointee Brendan Carr, to approve Skydance and Paramount’s $8 billion merger.
In response, Paramount co-CEO George Cheeks wrote in a letter to Democratic Sen. Ed Markey that the cancellation was a “purely financial” decision due to the ongoing decline of late-night television alongside that of linear TV, even as “The Late Show” remained the highest-rated network late-night program. Cheeks also said that the decision was made “well before” Colbert’s on-air jabs at his network’s parent company.
On the news media front, McKinnon insisted to the Democrats that its promise to hire an ombudsman for CBS News as part of a deal for FCC approval of the merger will not lead to influence from the Trump Administration over editorial decisions.
“Skydance believes in unbiased journalism and embraces a broad range of viewpoints. Upon closing of the acquisition, these guiding principles will ensure that editorial decision-making at CBS News reflects the varied ideological perspectives of American viewers,” she wrote. “Skydance likewise believes all content should reflect independent editorial judgment and be free from government intrusion and politicization.”
Skydance is expected to close its merger with Paramount Aug. 7.
