Paramount Reportedly Has Blacklist Of Hollywood Stars

As many shifts continue within Paramount, the studio reportedly has a list of stars that it has blacklisted. Under David Ellison’s leadership, numerous changes have already taken effect at Paramount Skydance, including mass layoffs, and there are talks of a potential merger with Warner Bros. Discovery.

According to a report from Variety, another change is that Paramount now has a list of actors they will not work with because these individuals have been determined to be “overly antisemetic”, “xenophobic”, or “homophobic.”

In September, Paramount was the first major studio to speak out against an open letter calling for the boycott of Israeli film institutions “implicated in genocide and apartheid against the Palestinian people.”

Emma Stone, Javier Bardem, Mark Ruffalo, Joaquin Phoenix, Ayo Edebiri, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Tilda Swinton, Emma D’Arcy, and Elliot Page were among some of the notable stars to sign the letter. It is unconfirmed whether any of these signatories are among those on Paramount’s blacklist.

Part of the reason that Israel is such an important issue to Paramount is that Ellison’s father and Oracle co-founder, Larry Ellison, is reportedly a close friend to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Larry Ellison is also a major donor to Friends of the IDF.

The changing political climate at Paramount can also be attributed to Larry Ellison’s close relationship with President Donald Trump. The Trump administration greenlit the Paramount and Skydance merger, and Trump has spoken about how Larry and David Ellison are supporters of him.

Another factor at play in the evolution at Paramount was the surprising development that prolific television creator Taylor Sheridan was exiting after signing a lucrative deal with NBCUniversal. There is no shortage of popular Taylor Sheridan shows on Paramount+, including Yellowstone, 1923, Tulsa King, Mayor of Kingstown, and Lioness.

Sheridan’s television deal with Paramount stays in effect through 2028, but his impending exit is still a major loss for the studio, and a significant boost for NBCUniversal and their streaming service, Peacock. A report that came out after the news of Taylor Sheridan leaving Paramount broke revealed that his relationship with Paramount’s new leadership was already in a negative place before the Paramount and Skydance merger.

There are still plenty of Paramount+ shows to watch, and the studio has had some major wins in recent months, including Stranger Things creators Matt and Ross Duffer leaving Netflix for Paramount. From reportedly blacklisting actors to Sheridan’s exit, though, there are many uncertainties about Paramount‘s future.