More than 1,000 staffers impacted in sweeping first-round cuts targeting marketing, PR, programming, and talent divisions—another primary wave expected as new leadership restructures global operations.
Paramount has officially begun its first major workforce restructuring since its merger with Skydance, triggering a wave of layoffs across its broadcast, streaming, and cable units. In what insiders are already calling one of the most consequential entertainment downsizing events of the year, the David Ellison–led leadership team has executed deep personnel cuts at CBS, Paramount+, MTV, CMT, and Paramount Global Content Distribution.
The reductions strike at the core of Paramount’s linear and streaming operations. Marketing, PR/communications, business affairs, and current programming were among the hardest hit, with veteran executives and department heads—many with decades of institutional knowledge—exiting the company.
Marketing, PR, and Programming Hit Hard
’TELL IT LIKE IT IS’ Entertainment News has confirmed that layoffs included Teri Fleming, the executive vice president and head of marketing for Paramount Global Content Distribution. CBS Entertainment’s current programming team also saw critical losses, including senior vice presidents Pamela Soper and Amanda Palley.
CBS’s New York–based communications division was reportedly “decimated,” according to one internal source. Among those departing are the vice president of entertainment communications and CBS Media Ventures’ senior VP of communications, Leslie Ryan. Also cut: Jennifer Weingroff, the senior VP of communications for Paramount Global Content Distribution.
Paramount+ Sees High-Level Exits
Paramount+ was not spared from the restructuring. Jeff Grossman, executive vice president of programming, has left the streamer, as has Patricia Kollappallil, senior vice president of corporate communications. Marketing chief Ari Avishay—who led international content, social, and partner marketing—was also impacted.
MTV, CMT, and Cable Networks in Freefall
Cable brands under the Paramount umbrella are facing their steepest contraction yet. MTV, once a cultural powerhouse, endured significant cuts to its talent and communications teams. Wendy Plaut, senior VP and head of music & celebrity talent, is out, along with Amanda Culkowski, VP of music program development and documentaries for MTV/Paramount+.
CMT’s Margaret Comeaux, senior VP of music events and production, has also exited. The reductions further diminish what had once been a robust talent and live-event ecosystem supporting MTV and CMT’s music-driven identity.
The cable-side cuts are another sign of Paramount’s ongoing shift away from talent-heavy music programming, a stark contrast to the era when the company dominated youth culture, pop music coverage, and reality TV.
CBS News Feels the Blow
As previously reported by ’TELL IT LIKE IT IS’ Entertainment News, CBS News laid off roughly 100 staffers earlier in the week, shuttering its Johannesburg bureau and gutting several units. Streaming companion shows for “CBS Evening News” and “CBS Mornings” have been canceled, and CBS’s Saturday morning lineup has been severely scaled back.
1,000 Departures — With 1,000 More Coming
Around 1,000 employees were affected in this initial wave—one of the most significant singular layoffs in Paramount’s modern history. Sources say another round impacting approximately 1,000 more employees is expected in the coming weeks, with a heavier focus on international operations.
“It’s a bloodbath,” a Paramount Skydance executive told ’TELL IT LIKE IT IS’ Entertainment News. “I don’t know who’s going to be left to do the work.”
With several senior-level departures in core content areas, employees across the company report uncertainty about who will oversee key ongoing operations. New organizational charts are expected soon, but one source described the present climate as “operationally fragile.”
Ellison’s Vision: Consolidation and Growth
Paramount Skydance chairman and CEO David Ellison addressed staff in a memo on Wednesday, noting that redundancies and evolutions in the company’s priorities necessitated the cuts:
“In some areas, we are addressing redundancies that have emerged across the organization. In others, we are phasing out roles that are no longer aligned with our evolving priorities, and the new structure is designed to strengthen our focus on growth. Ultimately, these steps are necessary to position Paramount for long-term success.”
Industry analysts expect the Paramount-Skydance merger to result in a leaner, more globalized content engine focused on efficiencies, franchise expansion, and premium streaming output. But in the short term, the company faces a daunting challenge: rebuilding trust and stabilizing operations after one of the most sweeping reductions in the entertainment workforce in years.
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-- By Jasmine Thomas and Michael R. Thomas
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