George Clooney says CBS and ABC should have told Trump to ‘go f*** yourself’ rather than settle lawsuits

George Clooney says the United States would be in a better place instead of ABC and CBS telling Donald Trump to “go fuck yourself.” concluded the defamation cases.

The Oscar-winning actor, who took issue with Bari Weiss, the “anti-woke” founder of The Free Press who was recently named head of CBS News by Paramount chief David Ellison, also warned that she was “tearing up” the Tiffany Network.

“I worry about how we inform ourselves and how we discern the truth without a functioning press,” Clooney said. Diversity in a wide-ranging interview.

Independent CBS News and ABC News have been contacted for comment.

While promoting his new movie jay kelly and the idea of ​​revival arises of the ocean heist movie series, Clooney – who I recently became a French citizen He talked about his transition to Broadway after moving his family to France in 2021 Good Night and Good Luck The current state of American media.

In the play, adapted from the 2005 film of the same name, directed by and starring the actor, Clooney plays legendary CBS News anchor Edward R. Murrow, who opposes Joseph McCarthy. When the film was released, Clooney, whose father was a longtime TV news anchor, said he “intended to draw parallels between Murrow and how the media covered the lead-up to the Iraq War.”

Twenty years later, with Trump back in office, this story has a different resonance and hit news organizations with billion dollar lawsuits while threatening to revoke broadcasting licenses.

“When Clooney played Murrow last spring, CBS News was trying to negotiate a frivolous lawsuit with Trump to get him to approve the sale of its parent company, Paramount, to Skydance.” diversity Brent Lang noticed this. “This angered Clooney, as did ABC News’ similar settlement with the president over a defamation claim.”

Weeks before the president’s second inauguration, Disney, the parent company of ABC News, paid Trump $15 million to settle his complaint after host George Stephanopoulos falsely claimed on air that Trump was found “responsible for rape” in the case of E. Jean Carroll. (Trump actually found responsible for sexual harassment and slanders Carroll.)

During legal analysts told Independent In that case While First Amendment experts said the case against ABC would be an imminent outcome if it went to trial, they warned that the settlement would have a “chilling effect” on the media going forward. “Many in free press circles are holding their breath,” one said. “There are concerns that we are entering a terrible time.”

Months later, amid a politically fraught $8.4 billion merger with Ellison-owned Skydance Media, Paramount agreed to pay Trump $16 million to settle his defamation lawsuit. 60 Minutes Interview with Kamala Harris, despite CBS News lawyers calling the complaint “meritless.”

The merger was approved weeks later by the Trump administration, although Paramount’s leadership insisted the deal was unrelated to the Skydance deal. House Democrats have since launched an investigation into whether the deal constituted a “bribe” to the president to secure the deal.

“If CBS and ABC had objected to these lawsuits and said, ‘Go fuck yourself,’ we wouldn’t be in this situation in this country,” Clooney said. Diversity. “This is the truth.”

Clooney expressed concerns about the “MAGA-friendly” aspect of CBS News under Ellison and Weiss, who were hired in October. He’s come under fire lately for hitting a nail on the head. 60 Minutes Breaking story about the Trump administration sending Venezuelan immigrants to the infamous El Salvador CECOT prison.

“Bari Weiss is delivering CBS News as we speak,” he said. “I worry about how we inform ourselves and discern the truth without a functioning press.”

He was also further “invigorated” by his belief that some journalists and news organizations had abandoned their “mission of holding the powerful accountable,” which prompted him to reference a quote by Murrow from the movie and the play.

“’Let’s not confuse dissent with disloyalty,’” Clooney said. “I mean, what a beautiful and important statement that we’re doing the best we can. But we often fall short.”

While Clooney, one of Hollywood’s most outspoken liberals, is deeply concerned about the state of the country and the free press under Trump’s White House, calling it a “very challenging time,” he also revealed that there was a time when he was friends with the famous game show host who was once president.

“I knew him very well” Michael Clayton star was declared. “He used to call me a lot, and once he tried to help me go to the hospital and see a back surgeon. I’d see him in clubs and restaurants. He’s such an idiot. Yes, he was. Everything changed.”