In a wide-ranging interview with Variety, the Oscar-winning actor said ABC and CBS should have refused to back down. “If CBS and ABC had challenged those lawsuits and said, ‘Go f*** yourself,’ we wouldn’t be where we are in the country,” Clooney said. “That’s simply the truth.”
Clooney’s comments come as media companies face intense political and legal pressure during Trump’s second term in office. He argued that recent settlements have weakened the press at a time when strong, independent journalism is more important than ever.
“I’m worried about how we inform ourselves and how we’re going to discern reality without a functioning press,” Clooney said.
The actor was especially critical of changes at CBS News under new leadership. He accused journalist and media figure Bari Weiss, who was recently brought in by Paramount leadership, of steering the network in a dangerous direction. “Bari Weiss is dismantling CBS News as we speak,” Clooney claimed.
His frustration is rooted in recent high-profile settlements. ABC’s parent company, Disney, paid Trump $15 million to resolve a defamation lawsuit tied to inaccurate on-air language used by anchor George Stephanopoulos during coverage of the E. Jean Carroll civil case. CBS’s parent company, Paramount, later agreed to a $16 million settlement over a 60 Minutes interview with Vice President Kamala Harris, despite CBS lawyers reportedly calling Trump’s complaint “meritless.”
Clooney believes these decisions have had a chilling effect on journalism. Legal experts have warned that such settlements may encourage powerful figures to use lawsuits as a tool to intimidate news organizations into silence.
While promoting his new film Jay Kelly and discussing the possibility of reviving the Ocean’s franchise, Clooney also reflected on his Broadway role in Good Night, and Good Luck. In the play, adapted from the 2005 film he directed and starred in, Clooney portrays legendary CBS News anchor Edward R. Murrow, who famously stood up to Senator Joseph McCarthy during the Red Scare.
The story, Clooney said, feels even more relevant today.
“‘Let’s not confuse dissent with disloyalty,’” Clooney quoted from Murrow. “What a beautiful, important statement about who we are at our best. But all too often we fall short.”
Despite his deep concerns about the state of the free press under a Trump White House, Clooney also revealed a surprising personal history with the president. He said the two were once friendly, long before Trump entered politics.
“I knew him very well,” Clooney said. “He used to call me a lot. I’d see him at clubs and restaurants. He was a big goofball. Well, he was. That all changed.”
Now, Clooney says, the stakes are far higher than personal relationships or corporate deals. For him, the issue is about whether the press can still fulfill its most basic role: holding the powerful to account.
“This is a very trying time,” he said — not just for journalists, but for the country as a whole.
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