The official account for Paramount Pictures on X, the social network formerly known as Twitter, was seemingly compromised Tuesday — with someone rewriting the description in the account’s bio to read: “Proud arm of the fascist regime.”
The hack of Paramount Pictures’ X account, which has nearly 3.5 million followers, came a day after David Ellison’s Paramount Skydance launched a direct-to-shareholders hostile takeover effort for Warner Bros. Discovery. That was three days after Netflix and WBD announced an agreement under which the streamer would buy WB’s studios, HBO, HBO Max and games divisions.
Variety has reached out to Paramount for comment. Shortly after this story was published, the description for the Paramount Pictures account on the social network had changed back to: “The official X account for Paramount Pictures.”
President Donald Trump is known to be friendly with David Ellison and his mega-wealthy father, Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison. “They’re big supporters of mine,” Trump told reporters in October aboard Air Force One. Prior to Skydance Media’s takeover of Paramount Global, a deal that closed Aug. 7, the president publicly praised David Ellison, saying “he’ll do a great job” as CEO of the merged Skydance Media-Paramount.
Meanwhile, Ellison in October announced a deal reportedly worth $150 million to acquire Bari Weiss’ contrarian outlet The Free Press and her appointment as CBS News’ top editorial executive. Industry observers speculated the move was intended to improve CBS News’ standing with Trump and the MAGA movement. In her first TV appearance as CBS News editor-in-chief, Weiss will moderate a one-hour special with Erika Kirk, CEO of Turning Point USA — the conservative activist group founded by her late husband Charlie Kirk — which is scheduled to air on the network Saturday, Dec. 13.
But Trump on Monday lashed out at the Ellisons over this week’s “60 Minutes” segment with Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Georgia), once an ardent Trump supporter who has earned the president’s scorn as she has criticized him on several issues. On his Truth Social platform, Trump wrote in part, “My real problem with the show, however, wasn’t the low IQ traitor, it was that the new ownership of 60 Minutes, Paramount, would allow a show like this to air. THEY ARE NO BETTER THAN THE OLD OWNERSHIP” — and he opined that since the Ellisons bought the company, “60 Minutes has actually gotten WORSE!”
When Trump was asked Monday at a White House briefing with reporters if he was in favor of Paramount’s rival bid for Warner Bros. Discovery, he responded, “I don’t know enough about it. I know the companies very well. I know what they are doing. But I have to see,” saying he has to look at how each proposed deal would impact market share for Netflix and Paramount Skydance. Trump added, “I mean, none of them are particularly great friends of mine. You know, I want to do what’s right.”
