Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth just added more fuel to the idea that David Ellison’s push for Warner Bros. Discovery would come with a major political and media shake-up.
Speaking at a Pentagon press conference on Friday, Hegseth blasted CNN over its reporting on the Strait of Hormuz and then dropped a line that immediately stood out: “The sooner David Ellison takes over that network, the better.”
Hegseth targets CNN through Paramount
The context centers on a CNN report published Thursday claiming the Pentagon and the National Security Council significantly underestimated Iran’s willingness to close the Strait of Hormuz.
That is when Hegseth brought up Ellison directly.
His full comment: “Patently ridiculous, of course. For decades Iran has threatened shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. This is always what they do. Hold the Strait hostage. CNN doesn’t think we thought of that. It’s a fundamentally unserious report. The sooner David Ellison takes over that network, the better.”
Why David Ellison’s name matters here
Hegseth’s comment was referring to Paramount Skydance’s $110 billion deal to acquire CNN parent Warner Bros. Discovery.
Ellison also has deep ties to President Donald Trump’s administration, and the deal still requires government approval, though FCC Chair Brendan Carr recently signaled the agency would not block it.
So this was not some random name-drop, as Hegseth specifically tied his criticism of CNN to the possibility of Ellison taking control, which Paramount has said will happen by the end of the year.
Fits with the previous Paramount MAGA reporting
Paramount under Ellison is already signaling a shift toward middle-America, patriotic, and more traditionally framed content.
That report pointed to Variety’s coverage about the company moving away from coastal-bubble priorities and toward a broader mainstream audience.
Another outlet at the time also described the shift as potentially MAGA-friendly.
