George Clooney blasts CBS, ABC for settling Trump lawsuits instead of fighting back
WASHINGTON, DC: George Clooney sharply criticized CBS and ABC for settling defamation lawsuits filed by President Donald Trump rather than challenging them in court, arguing that the decisions directly contributed to “where we are” as a country.
Speaking to Variety on Tuesday, December 30, Clooney, the son of veteran broadcast journalist Nick Clooney, said that the networks should have refused to back down.
“They should have told the president, ‘Go f**k yourself,’” Clooney said, insisting that standing firm would have altered the trajectory of the media and political landscape.
“If CBS and ABC had challenged those lawsuits and said, ‘Go f**k yourself’, we wouldn’t be where we are in the country,” he added. “That’s simply the truth.”
Edward Murrow role collides with CBS settlement talks
Clooney’s remarks carry added weight given his recent portrayal of legendary CBS journalist Edward R Murrow in the stage adaptation of 'Good Night, and Good Luck'.
The production ran last spring just as CBS News was finalising a settlement with Trump, at a time when parent company Paramount was seeking regulatory approval for its proposed sale to Skydance.
ABC News reached its own settlement with Trump in 2024 over a separate defamation claim, further fuelling debate over whether major US networks were willing to confront legal pressure from powerful political figures.
Alarm over CBS News shake-up and Bari Weiss appointment
The actor said that his concerns have deepened following changes inside CBS News under new ownership. Paramount is now controlled by David Ellison, who has reportedly begun reshaping the network’s editorial direction.
Clooney singled out the appointment of Bari Weiss as editor-in-chief as a troubling development.
“Bari Weiss is dismantling CBS News as we speak,” he claimed. “I’m worried about how we inform ourselves and how we’re going to discern reality without a functioning press.”
Variety writer Brent Lang noted that Clooney became visibly animated when discussing individuals he believes have failed to uphold journalism’s core responsibility of holding those in power to account since Trump’s return to office, though no specific names were mentioned.
The interview was conducted in New York City and published days after Clooney and his wife, human rights lawyer Amal Clooney, were formally granted French citizenship following years of living in the country.
