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Paramount Execs Pocket $60-$64M Amid Merger Plans

4/25/2026

29 3 Full Breakdown

Summary

Paramount Executives Earnings

Paramount Global disclosed that CEO David Ellison earned $63.2 million in 2025.
Former president Jeff Shell earned $60.7 million in 2025, including $5 million cash severance.
Chief legal officer Makan Delrahim earned $63.6 million in 2025, with $58.7 million in stock.
The filing said the stock vests over five years, with David Ellison expecting the Warner Bros. Discovery merger to close in the third quarter.

Summary

Shell Removed

Jeff Shell was removed as Paramount Skydance president in April 2026 after a dispute with a high-stakes gambler.
His separation agreement provides cash payments equal to his $3.5 million salary plus a $1.5 million target bonus, spread over 12 months, totaling roughly $5 million.
A recent filing shows each executive’s compensation for work in the CEO’s office is $6 million.

History

Historical Context

Enron’s 2001 bankruptcy, triggered by mark-to-market abuse and off-balance-sheet vehicles that hid billions of dollars, led to $30 million in compensation for CFO Andrew Fastow and spurred the 2002 Sarbanes-Oxley Act. Decades later, Paramount Global’s 2025 filings show CEO David Ellison earning $63.2 million, echoing the same executive-pay excesses that regulators now scrutinize.

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Paramount Executives Earnings

Paramount Global disclosed that CEO David Ellison earned $63.2 million in 2025.
Former president Jeff Shell earned $60.7 million in 2025, including $5 million cash severance.
Chief legal officer Makan Delrahim earned $63.6 million in 2025, with $58.7 million in stock.
The filing said the stock vests over five years, with David Ellison expecting the Warner Bros. Discovery merger to close in the third quarter.

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