Paramount Skydance Reveals 2025 Executive Pay Amid Executive Exit and Litigation

In an SEC filing released on a Friday, Paramount Skydance reported the total 2025 compensation for its top executives. The filing listed packages for chairman and chief executive officer David Ellison, former president Jeff Shell, chief legal officer Makan Delrahim, and chief strategy officer and chief operating officer Andy Gordon.

Variety Magazine

Skydance Media completed its $8.4 billion acquisition of Paramount Global on August 7, 2025, giving Ellison control of the combined company. Ellison is simultaneously pursuing a $111 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery, which remains subject to regulatory approval.

Hollywood Reporter

• David Ellison – Chairman and CEO of Paramount Skydance, son of Oracle founder Larry Ellison.

Hollywood Reporter

• Jeff Shell – Former president of Paramount, resigned in April 2026.

Deadline Hollywood

• Makan Delrahim – Chief legal officer, former assistant attorney general for the U.S. Department of Justice Antitrust Division during the first Trump administration.

Variety Magazine

• Andy Gordon – Chief strategy officer and COO, previously an executive at RedBird Capital Partners.

Variety Magazine

• David Ellison: $63.2 million total; $1.41 million base salary, $58.7 million in sign-on stock awards, $1.41 million cash bonus, $1.7 million “other” compensation (including personal security costs).

The Wrap

• Jeff Shell: $60.68 million (Variety) or $60.7 million (other outlets); $1.41 million base salary, $58.7 million in stock awards, $567,807 non-equity incentive compensation, $9,135 other compensation.

The WrapVariety MagazineDeadline HollywoodHollywood Reporter

• Makan Delrahim: $63.58 million (Variety) or $63.6 million (TheWrap); $844,828 salary, $336,144 cash bonus, $57.39 million sign-on stock.

The Wrap

• Andy Gordon: $48.5 million total; base salary $1.13 million, cash bonus $454,246, $46.96 million in stock vesting over five years.

The Wrap

Paramount said an internal investigation concluded that Shell had not violated securities laws. Shell has denied any wrongdoing and filed a defamation countersuit against the plaintiff. Under his separation agreement, Shell will receive cash equal to his $3.5 million base salary and $1.5 million target bonus, paid over the following 12 months.

Variety Magazine

Professional gambler R.J. Cipriani filed a breach-of-contract and fraud complaint alleging Shell owes $150 million for crisis-PR services and that confidential information about Paramount was disclosed. The suit also implicates David Ellison, Larry Ellison, and several advisors. Critics have pointed to the size of the executives’ compensation packages as a concern given the ongoing litigation.

Deadline Hollywood

Sources differ on Shell’s total pay, reporting $60.68 million (Variety) versus $60.7 million (Hollywood Reporter, Deadline, TheWrap). Delrahim’s package appears as $63.58 million (Variety) and $63.6 million (TheWrap). The filing does not specify the exact cash amount of Shell’s severance beyond an estimate of “around $5 million,” and it provides limited detail on the timing of stock vesting beyond the five-year schedule.

The Wrap

Ellison expects the Warner Bros. Discovery merger to close in the third quarter of 2026, pending regulatory clearance. Shell’s separation agreement will generate cash payments through the next year, while the Cipriani lawsuit proceeds in court.

Deadline Hollywood