Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) on Friday stopped by “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert” on CBS and had no problem calling out Paramount Skydance CEO David Ellison, whose company recently acquired the very network she was appearing on.
The name drop came after Colbert thanked Warren for the “honor” of dressing her dog as him for Halloween this year. The senator noted that “there’s a reason” she and her golden retriever Bailey had picked that particular costume.
“Bailey and I talked about this, and we don’t think one corporation, or one man named David Ellison, should be able to buy up all the shows and buy up all the sports and buy up all the news, and decide who watches what and who pays what,” Warren said. “I’m gonna stay in that fight.”
Ellison’s company, Skydance Media, purchased Paramount Global in August in an $8.4 billion merger following the cancellation of Colbert’s show. The Federal Communications Commission approved the deal, and President Donald Trump publicly celebrated the coming end to “The Late Show.” Warren condemned the merger.
Ellison has since been preparing a bid for Warner Bros. Discovery, which would include all of its cable networks and the world-renowned movie studio.
Warren, in turn, penned a letter earlier this week alongside fellow Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) to Department of Justice Assistant Attorney General Abigail Slater, who specializes in antitrust issues, to raise concerns about the possible union.
The trio reportedly called for a thorough review of any potential deal in their letter, which they said would occur “under a cloud of political favoritism and corruption,” according to a copy of the letter obtained Wednesday by The Hollywood Reporter.
Ellison’s company Skydance Media recently acquired Paramount Global, which owned CBS.
Evan Agostini/Invision/Associated Press
CBS announced the cancellation of Colbert’s show after he mocked the network’s then-parent company, Paramount Global, for settling a $16 million lawsuit with Trump while awaiting approval from the FCC under his administration for the Skydance merger.
Warren noted at the time that the payout preceding that approval looked like “bribery.”
She and her colleagues reportedly wrote in their letter that antitrust laws are “necessary” to protect the free market “and economic security for working families,” and that any prospective sale must be “grounded in the law, not President Trump’s political favoritism.”
Colbert reacted to her comments Friday by looking into the camera with a smile, stating, “I have never met Mr. Ellison, and I’m sure he’s a fine fella.” He then turned his attention back to Warren and jokingly said, “You’re going to get me sued.”