Shari Redstone, once the big boss at Paramount, found herself in a pickle over unaired CBS footage of President Joe Biden looking less than sharp, fearing it could blow up in a lawsuit from President Donald Trump.
This saga, steeped in corporate chess moves and political firestorms, centers on a $16 million settlement between Trump and CBS News, Redstone's concerns over a 2023 "60 Minutes" interview with Biden, and a controversial Paramount merger with Skydance Media, Fox News reported.
Let’s rewind to 2023, when CBS correspondent Scott Pelley sat down with Biden for a "60 Minutes" chat that, according to some at CBS, showed the president appearing drowsy and needing prompts to keep the conversation rolling.
Redstone, as she told the New York Times, got wind of this from CBS insiders and started sweating bullets, worrying that the raw footage could paint CBS as editing out Biden’s weaker moments to protect his image.
Along with her son, Tyler Korff, she fretted that if Trump’s lawsuit went to discovery, internal CBS communications and that unedited footage could do more harm than just paying to make the problem disappear.
Now, defenders of Biden have long argued he was fit for the job despite his age and occasional public stumbles, but Redstone’s concerns weren’t just about optics—they were about legal and financial exposure.
Fast forward to the lawsuit itself, where Trump accused CBS of meddling in elections over a 2024 "60 Minutes" interview with then-Vice President Kamala Harris, a claim many saw as a long shot but still packed a punch.
The result? A hefty $16 million settlement was paid to Trump last month, covering legal fees and contributions to his future presidential library or charities, a move that raised eyebrows and accusations of corporate capitulation.
Critics slammed the deal, arguing Paramount rushed to settle not on merit, but to grease the wheels for its merger with Skydance Media, a transaction that got the green light from the Federal Communications Commission soon after.
Redstone, who controlled over three-quarters of Paramount’s key voting shares, recused herself from the settlement talks but made no secret of her desire for a resolution, saying, "This case was never as black-and-white as people assumed."
That quote sounds noble, but let’s be real—when a boardroom titan like Redstone pushes for a deal while eyeing a merger exit, it’s hard not to see dollar signs over principles, especially with shareholders in mind.
She even told the New York Times, "We may not like the world we live in, but a board has to do what’s in the best interest of shareholders," a line that’s hard to argue with if you’re a capitalist, but stings if you value journalistic grit.
Interestingly, not everyone agreed with Redstone’s take on the Biden footage—some who saw the 2023 interview or reviewed the tapes felt her worries were overblown, suggesting the “drowsy” narrative might be more perception than reality.
Pelley himself noted during the broadcast, "It had been a rough week, and we could see it on him," a candid remark that acknowledges Biden’s fatigue but doesn’t scream cover-up—unless you’re looking for one.
