Clooney’s Invitation to CBS News
After actor George Clooney stated in an interview that Bari Weiss was “tearing down CBS News as we speak,” the CBS News Editor-in-Chief extended a general invitation to him to visit the CBS Broadcast Center. In a message shared publicly, Weiss expressed her admiration, saying, “Bonjour, Mr. Clooney! I’m a huge fan of your work,” and mentioned her role in restarting the evening news, encouraging him to tune in on January 5th.
A representative for Clooney has not yet responded to requests for comment regarding the invitation.
Clooney’s remarks about CBS and ABC stemmed from their decision to settle a multimillion-dollar lawsuit with Donald Trump, which he criticized. He suggested the networks should have resisted the legal actions instead of paying out significant sums. The settlements amounted to at least $16 million for each network, and Clooney expressed concern over the absence of challenge to such lawsuits, indicating it reflects a larger issue with media accountability.
“If CBS and ABC had contested these lawsuits and said, ‘Do your thing,’ we wouldn’t be where we are in this country right now,” Clooney remarked, emphasizing the current difficulties society faces and the importance of perseverance. He believes that even though these times are challenging, one must find a way to keep moving forward rather than giving up.
Earlier this year, CBS and Paramount Global agreed to pay a collective $16 million to settle Trump’s lawsuit over the editing of a 2024 interview with Kamala Harris. The lawsuit claimed these edits amounted to “election interference.” Trump’s side viewed the settlement as a win for media accountability. This situation followed a significant merger between Paramount and Skydance Media, which brought about Weiss’s appointment as the head of CBS News, a move that somehow discontented Clooney.
In his comments to Variety, Clooney expressed his distress about Weiss’s leadership, noting, “Bari Weiss is trying to tear down CBS News as we speak.” His worries stem from how the media landscape is developing, especially considering how it affects public perception and information dissemination.
CBS and ABC have not yet issued any responses to inquiries regarding these developments.
