Hollywood star George Clooney has launched a scathing critique of major US television networks, arguing that the country would be in a stronger position if they had defiantly rejected legal threats from Donald Trump.
Clooney's Blunt Critique of Media Settlements
In a candid interview with Variety, the Oscar-winning actor and director stated that ABC and CBS should have told the former president to "go f*** yourself" rather than pay millions to settle his defamation claims. Clooney, who recently became a French citizen, connected the current media landscape to his role as legendary broadcaster Edward R. Murrow in Good Night, and Good Luck, a story about standing up to political intimidation.
He expressed profound concern about the ability of the public to discern truth in an era where, he believes, the press is faltering. "I’m worried about how we inform ourselves and how we’re going to discern reality without a functioning press," Clooney said.
The Multi-Million Dollar Lawsuits That Sparked Outrage
Clooney's anger was directed at two specific settlements. Firstly, Disney, ABC News's parent company, paid Trump $15 million in late 2025, just weeks before his second inauguration. This settled a complaint after anchor George Stephanopoulos incorrectly stated on air that Trump had been found "liable for rape" in the E. Jean Carroll case; the court had actually found him liable for sexual abuse and defamation.
Months later, Paramount agreed to pay Trump $16 million to settle a separate defamation lawsuit concerning a 60 Minutes interview with Kamala Harris. This occurred amid Paramount's politically fraught $8.4 billion merger with Skydance Media, led by David Ellison. Although CBS News lawyers called the suit "meritless" and leadership denied a link, the merger was approved by the Trump administration shortly after the settlement. The deal has since prompted a House Democrat investigation into whether the payment constituted a "bribe".
"If CBS and ABC had challenged those lawsuits and said, 'Go f*** yourself,' we wouldn't be where we are in the country," Clooney asserted. "That's simply the truth."
Warning Over CBS News Direction Under Bari Weiss
Clooney also turned his fire on the new leadership at CBS News, specifically Bari Weiss, the "anti-woke" founder of The Free Press installed by Paramount chief David Ellison in October 2025. He accused her of actively harming the network's journalistic integrity.
"Bari Weiss is dismantling CBS News as we speak," he warned, citing the last-minute spiking of a 60 Minutes report about the Trump administration sending Venezuelan migrants to the notorious El Salvador CECOT prison. Clooney fears the "MAGA-friendly" direction under Ellison and Weiss is abandoning the core mission of holding power to account.
Reflecting on Murrow's words – "Let's not confuse dissent with disloyalty" – Clooney lamented that the media often falls short of this ideal. Despite the grim outlook, he revealed a personal history with Trump, describing him as a "big goofball" who used to call him frequently and tried to help him see a back surgeon. "That all changed," Clooney noted, underscoring the profound shift in their relationship and the political climate.
