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George Clooney Questions Paramount-Warner Merger’s Financial Logic

9/2/2026

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Summary

Story summary

George Clooney criticized the Paramount–Warner Bros. Discovery merger at the Venice Film Festival.
He said he does not see how the merger financially makes sense.
He defended Mark Ruffalo’s right to speak after antisemitism accusations.
He called banning speech ridiculous and said free speech is vital to democracy.
He signed an open letter supporting Ruffalo alongside Joel Coen, Hannah Einbinder, Joaquin Phoenix, Sarah Sherman and Todd Haynes.

History

Historical Context

The 2000 AOL-Time Warner merger, cleared by the FTC on January 11 2001, triggered antitrust concerns that resurfaced during AT&T’s 2018 acquisition of Time Warner and the 2022 WarnerMedia-Discovery merger. Those precedents shape today’s artist opposition to the Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery deal, feared to repeat the consolidation that once produced a $99 billion loss.

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Story summary

George Clooney criticized the Paramount–Warner Bros. Discovery merger at the Venice Film Festival.
He said he does not see how the merger financially makes sense.
He defended Mark Ruffalo’s right to speak after antisemitism accusations.
He called banning speech ridiculous and said free speech is vital to democracy.
He signed an open letter supporting Ruffalo alongside Joel Coen, Hannah Einbinder, Joaquin Phoenix, Sarah Sherman and Todd Haynes.

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