‘I was blown away’: Former Paramount owner believes settlement with Trump was a good deal

August 20, 2025 11:50

The former controlling shareholder in Paramount, Shari Redstone, has revealed she thinks the company got off lightly in a US$16 million ($24.8 million) settlement with US President Donald Trump.

The settlement was widely criticised and perceived as capitulation to the President in order to get the Paramount and Skydance merger approved. Redstone, however, said she was actually expecting a much higher price.

“I was blown away,” she told The New York Times across a series of interviews, released this week. “How did they do it? I don’t know, and I didn’t ask.”

Trump had initially filed a suit demanding US$10 billion ($15.5 billion), which he then upped to $20 billion ($31 billion).

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Vivienne Kelly

Vivienne Kelly is a freelance journalist and commentator. She currently co-hosts MediaLand on ABC Radio National with Tim Burrowes, and was previously editor of Mumbrella between 2016 and 2020.

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