ICYMI: Booker Holds Forum on Risks of Paramount–Skydance / Warner Bros. Discovery Merger Ahead of Shareholder Vote

WASHINGTON, D.C.— In case you missed it, U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Antitrust, Competition Policy, and Consumer Rights, convened ashadow hearingthis week examining the proposed Paramount–Skydance acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc. At the hearing, Booker heard from acclaimed actor Mark Ruffalo; Academy Award–winning filmmaker David Borenstein; Director of Legal Services at the Writers Guild Michael Isaac; attorney and journalist Katie Phang; and Co-founder and Executive Director of the Partnership for Civil Justice Fund Mara Verheyden-Hilliard. Each of the witnesses warned that the merger would put “tens of thousands of media professionals at risk of losing their jobs” and poses a “threat to democracy itself.”
SEE FOR YOURSELF:
The WrapMark Ruffalo Slams Paramount–Warner Bros. Merger as Threat to “Democracy Itself” at Senate Hearing: “Driven by Greed”April 16, 2026By: Jacob Bryant

Mark Ruffalo:“Don’t trust that this new company will somehow make more films with less money and so much more debt.”
VARIETYMark Ruffalo Blasts Paramount–Warner Bros. Merger at Senate Hearing: “Don’t Trust Empty Promises from Billionaires”April 15, 2026By: Todd Spangler

@MorePerfectUSMark Ruffalo testifying at a hearing on the Paramount–WBD merger called by Cory BookerApril 15, 2026By: More Perfect Union

Mark Ruffalo:“Don’t trust empty promises from billionaires driven by greed and corrosive ideology.”
@markruffalo“Wow. David Borenstein calls out the ‘Melania’ so-called documentary for what it is: political bribery hiding in plain sight.”April 15, 2026By: Mark Ruffalo

David Borenstein:“The political influence creeping into the industry is already undeniable. A Warner Bros. Discovery–Paramount merger would supercharge it—paving the way for more projects like ‘Melania,’ where storytelling is bent to serve those in power.”
@artcandeeMeidasTouch Network host Katie Phang testifies in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee on the proposed merger of Paramount–Skydance and Warner Bros. DiscoveryApril 15, 2026By: Art Candee

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Booker Holds Forum on Risks of Paramount–Skydance / Warner Bros. Discovery Merger Ahead of Shareholder Vote