Ex-Paramount Executive Sues Company, Claims He was Fired for ‘Thinking Old,’ Being White
A former Paramount executive reportedly filed a discrimination lawsuit against the entertainment company on Friday, claiming he was fired for thinking “old” and being white.
Joseph Jerome filed a lawsuit in California federal court challenging Paramount’s diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) policies, which the 58-year-old says led to his firing in 2024, according to a report from the hollywood reporter.
Notably, Paramount’s DEI-related policies have since been rescinded or eliminated following the inauguration of President Donald Trump.
Now, Jerome – who had worked for Paramount since 1994 and most recently served as production advisor for Entertainment tonight – alleges in his lawsuit that he and two other white lawyers at CBS Media Ventures (CMV) were fired and replaced by minority employees.
The former Paramount executive reportedly claimed he was replaced by a 25-year-old black law graduate and former CMV intern, while his two ex-colleagues were replaced by young Asian lawyers whose former jobs were eliminated due to a corporate restructuring.
The complaint adds that CMV was roughly evenly split between white and minority attorneys at the start of 2024, and that all attorneys fired in the division that year were white and over the age of 50.
In the lawsuit, Jerome details a meeting he had in late 2023 with Wendy McMahon, then president of CBS News, who allegedly complained about her division’s shows driving older demographics and ordered staff to attract younger viewers by hiring younger staff. the hollywood reporter note.
Shortly after that meeting, Jerome was criticized for thinking “old” during a discussion about a potential deal after pointing out a legal term that was being misused, the complaint claims.
Jerome’s lawsuit comes after CBS Studios settled another discrimination lawsuit in April, in which a former script coordinator for The SEAL Team accused its parent company, Paramount, of being denied career advancement because he didn’t “check any diversity boxes” because he was white and straight.
That lawsuit also cited past remarks from then-CBS CEO George Cheeks, who in 2020 reportedly announced an initiative to ensure 40% of all writers’ rooms had “BIPOC representation” for the following season, as well as a goal to increase that figure to 50% the following season, according to a report from New York Post.
As for Jerome, his lawyers say he was discriminated against based on his race and age, in violation of federal and state laws. The former Paramount employee is now seeking statutory and punitive damages.
Alana Mastrangelo is a reporter for Breitbart News. You can follow her on Facebook and @ARmastrangeloand on Instagram.
