David Ellison is pursuing the long-awaited merger between Paramount Skydance and Warner Bros. Discovery. The deal hints at major cuts, with many expecting Last Week Tonight with John Oliver to be on the chopping block. While the audience was waiting for Oliver to address the merger on his show, he chose to stay silent.
The HBO host avoids David Ellison talk as the Paramount-Warner Bros. deal closes
David Ellison, CEO of Paramount Skydance, and his father, Larry Ellison, have gone for the merger of Paramount Skydance and Warner Bros. The deal was finalized in a $111 billion debt-laden merger that will officially close on October 6, 2026. As such, some major layoffs are expected, with many expecting the end of John Oliver’s show. For the unversed, the show extended its contract to 2027 before the finalization of the merger.
However, Ellison decided to end The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. Thus, John Oliver’s show might suffer a similar fate. On Sunday’s episode of Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, the audience was expecting the host to address the merger.
This is because he has made fun of Ellisons on his show in the past. As a result, everyone expected Oliver to share his thoughts on Ellison consuming his parent company, Warner Bros. Discovery. Surprisingly, Oliver chose not to speak up on this matter.
Paramount, Skydance, and Warner Bros’s merged company has been named Skydance. David Ellison opened up about the merger on his X (fomerly Twitter). “What once was the peak, is now just the beginning. Paramount and Warner Bros. shaped over a century of culture. By combining them, we aren’t rewriting history — we’re equipping these iconic studios with a more powerful engine. Together, we are Skydance: a creative-first home for bold, quality storytelling,” he said.
David added Skydance “will honor what makes Paramount and Warner Bros. special — giving both studios the opportunity to grow, tell more great stories and bring those stories to even broader audiences around the world, powered by the scale and capabilities of Skydance.”
