Paramount Pictures is ending several of its DEI programs to comply with Trump's executive orders. Co-CEOs George Cheeks and Chris McCarthy, who are both gay, announced the company will no longer set race, gender, or ethnicity hiring goals, nor collect such data on job applications. The decision, made to avoid federal scrutiny, also halts 5% of funding for DEI programs.
While Paramount said it will continue to evaluate its approach, this move comes as part of a wider trend, with other companies like Amazon and Disney scaling back their DEI commitments. The company has already removed all mentions of DEI from its webpages.
Strangely enough, in a September 2024 interview with Fortune magazine, the CEOs spoke about the importance of representation in media and workforce.
