If you've been following the corporate drama around who gets to buy Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD), you know it's not your typical, boring merger story. It involves Hollywood moguls, streaming giants, and now, according to a new lawsuit, a former U.S. President making some very personal promises.
The battle has primarily been between Paramount Skydance (PSKY), backed by father-son duo Larry and David Ellison, and Netflix Inc (NFLX). Former President Donald Trump has publicly called the Ellisons "good friends," but a lawsuit filed this week adds a new, more specific allegation: that Trump personally guaranteed Larry Ellison he would get Warner Bros.
The suit comes from R.J. Cipriani, a confidant of Paramount President Jeff Shell. Cipriani had already sued Shell this month and has now expanded his legal action to target the Ellisons, Paramount, and other company figures.
Paramount isn't having any of it. A company spokesperson called the lawsuit "frivolous" and said the claims are "entirely without merit," adding, "There is no factual or legal basis for any claim against Paramount, its Directors or its major shareholders, and the Company intends to defend these allegations vigorously."
While Trump himself isn't named as a defendant, the lawsuit paints a picture of his alleged involvement. Cipriani claims Trump gave a "direct personal assurance" to Larry Ellison about the Warner Bros. bid, something allegedly disclosed by Shell.
The lawsuit quotes Trump as allegedly saying: "Larry, it looks like Netflix is gonna get Warner Bros., but if you really, really want it, Larry, I'll make sure you get it."
It gets even more Hollywood from there. The suit also alleges that Paramount Skydance decided to make "Rush Hour 4" after being pushed by the president, suggesting the film was part of a broader deal to get the Warner Bros. acquisition approved.
Whether these specific claims hold up in court, the Trump administration's support for the Ellisons is no secret. The relationship has been public, and the administration's stance on the merger has been clear from the start.
Earlier this year, a senior Trump administration official told the New York Post, "Who owns Warner Bros. Discovery is every important to the administration," and that the Warner board should consider "which player in the suitor pool has been successful getting a deal done."
The official pointedly added that the best players were "the Ellisons" and suggested other bidders, like Netflix, could face regulatory hurdles. The comments framed the choice not just as a financial decision, but a political one with implications for which company could actually get a deal past regulators.
More recently, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth took a shot at Warner Bros.-owned CNN, calling it "fake news" and saying, "the sooner David Ellison takes over that network, the better." The comment highlighted the administration's desire to see a political ally control a major news network that has often been critical of the president.
For now, Paramount has been declared the winning bidder by Warner Bros. Discovery. The final step is approval from the Department of Justice. So, a lawsuit alleging a former president promised the deal to his friends lands right as regulators are deciding whether to greenlight it. It's a messy intersection of media, money, and politics, and it's all playing out in public view—and now, in a courtroom.
