Just because Paramount is in the midst of a complicated merger doesn’t mean that Jon Stewart can’t have a little fun at his parent company’s expense. While detailing several examples of how “vindictive” President Trump can be on Monday, the “Daily Show” host slipped in a lighthearted jab about Paramount’s merging aspirations.
Though the crux of Stewart’s latest monologue was about the protests against ICE in Los Angeles, the late night host also touched on the recent feud between Trump and Elon Musk. About halfway through his monologue, Stewart wondered aloud why the Trump administration would be interested in escalating tensions in Los Angeles now. He then cut to Musk’s recent post on X, which alleged that Trump is part of the Epstein files. In turn, the president threatened to terminate Musk’s government contracts and said that the billionaire would face “serious consequences” if he funds Democratic candidates.
“It must be hard for the Right to see how petty and petulant these two man babies are and how they wield their power in vindictive and capricious manners when they don’t get exactly their way and the damage that that behavior causes. And I guess what I would say to the Right is, ‘Welcome to our f–king world everyday,’” Stewart said.
The comedian then launched into several recent examples of Trump feuding with various companies and organizations. “Harvard won’t bend the knee? Attacked. A law firm represented a Democrat? Attacked. A long-term ally that prefers to retain its sovereignty? Attacked,” Stewart said, referring to Jenner & Block and Canada, respectively.
“A small mom-and-pop business just trying to complete an $8 billion merger? Attacked,” Stewart then added, alluding to his own parent company, Paramount Global. The joke got a big laugh from Stewart’s studio audience.
Paramount is currently in the middle of a proposed merger with Skydance Media. If the deal goes through, the new company will be owned by David Ellison and will be called Paramount Skydance Corporation. However, there’s a chance that the FCC won’t approve this merger due to Trump’s ongoing $20 billion lawsuit against “60 Minutes,” which claims the news program edited an interview with Kamala Harris. For CBS’ part, “60 Minutes” has stated the show did not edit the interview any more or less than the program typically edits interviews.
This lawsuit, accompanied by pressure from Paramount head Shari Redstone, led to longtime “60 Minutes” executive producer Bill Owens and CBS news chief executive Wendy McMahon stepping down.
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