FCC Chair and Commissioner Accept Luxury Gifts From Paramount

Federal Communications Commission Chair Brendan Carr and Commissioner Olivia Trusty accepted expensive gifts from Paramount, the parent company of CBS, while the agency presided over critical merger decisions. Trusty received tickets valued at more than $12,000, and Carr attended the December 2025 Kennedy Center honors gala in a private skybox hosted by Paramount CEO David Ellison, where seats cost $125,000.

These interactions occurred as Paramount pursued an $8 billion merger with Skydance Media and initiated a hostile takeover bid for Warner Bros. Discovery. The controversy coincides with lawsuits from California, New York, and 10 other states seeking to block the $110 billion consolidation of Paramount Skydance and Warner Bros.

Ethics experts argue the gifts create a conflict of interest that compromises the impartiality of the agency. The FCC maintains that ethics officers cleared the appearances as widely attended gatherings. Former head of the federal Office of Government Ethics Walter Shaub condemned the practice, stating that the appearance of accepting such gifts is terrible and risks the public's trust in government.