Credit: Original reporting by Ariel Zilber for the New York Post. Additional sourcing from Yahoo News, Deadline, and NewscastStudio. Radio & Television Business Report Yahoo NewscastStudio Deadline
In a moment that demands clarity, courage, and accountability, former CBS News associate producer Trey Sherman has ignited a firestorm with his viral TikTok alleging race-based layoffs at CBS News following sweeping cuts by its new parent company, Paramount Skydance. Sherman, who is Black, claims that every producer laid off from his team was a person of color, while white colleagues were reassigned or retained, a pattern he says reflects not just bias, but systemic exclusion.
This post is based on reporting by Ariel Zilber for the New York Post, and we encourage readers to review the original article for full context Yahoo.
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Sherman’s allegations come on the heels of a corporate merger that has reshaped the media landscape. David Ellison, son of tech billionaire and Trump ally Larry Ellison, now serves as Chairman and CEO of Paramount, which controls a vast portfolio of media brands including:
- CBS News
- CBS Entertainment
- CBS Sports
- Paramount Pictures
- Paramount Television
- Nickelodeon
- MTV
- Paramount+
- Pluto TV
- Showtime Networks
- CBS Media Ventures (home to Entertainment Tonight, Inside Edition, The Mike Douglas Show, and The Insider) Radio & Television Business Report NewscastStudio Deadline
The new executive team includes:
- Jeff Shell – President
- Andy Gordon – Chief Strategy Officer & COO
- George Cheeks – Chair of TV Media
- Dana Goldberg – Co-Chair of Paramount Pictures & Chair of Paramount Television
- Josh Greenstein – Co-Chair of Paramount Pictures & Vice Chair of Platforms
- Cindy Holland – Chair of Direct-to-Consumer
- Stephanie Kyoko McKinnon – General Counsel
- Jim Sterner – Chief People Officer
- Melissa Zukerman – Chief Communications Officer
- Andrew Warren – Interim CFO NewscastStudio Deadline
But the real story isn’t just about names, it’s about values.
Sherman’s account paints a troubling picture: a Race & Culture Unit dissolved, African coverage shifted from Johannesburg to London, and a CBS executive allegedly admitting that retention decisions were based on “familiarity”, not merit, not equity, not excellence. Familiarity, in this case, seems to have favored whiteness.
And while Bari Weiss, the newly appointed editor-in-chief of CBS News, claims she wasn’t involved in the layoffs, her public stance against DEI initiatives, calling them “illiberal” and “anti-merit”, aligns with the broader dismantling of diversity efforts across the network Yahoo.
This raises urgent questions:
- Why wasn’t CBS sold to someone like Byron Allen, whose media empire centers Black voices and legacy storytelling?
- Why are major networks increasingly aligning with conservative agendas, including what some describe as a “repression bid” by President Donald Trump?
- What does it mean when legacy media platforms silence the very voices they once promised to uplift?
We invite our readers, especially those who care about equity, truth, and representation, to reflect and respond:
Do you still support CBS, Paramount+, and their affiliated media brands?
Do you believe these layoffs reflect racial bias or corporate pragmatism?
Should we be demanding ownership shifts toward leaders who reflect our communities and values?
This isn’t just a media story. It’s a legacy story. And legacy, as we know at AMIBW, must be protected, not erased.
Let us know your thoughts. Comment below. Share widely. And stay tuned for more coverage in Changing Trends and Times, America in Black and White, and AMIBW The Magazine.
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