Donald Trump Slammed By Former Disney CEO Over 'Ridiculous' $16M Paramount Settlement: 'That Was Bad'

Donald Trump's history of coming after broadcasting networks with both words and lawsuits is not sitting well with ex-Disney CEO Michael Eisner. 

Eisner is particularly taking issue with Paramount's $16 million settlement with Trump last July, after the president accused 60 Minutes of deceptively editing a 2024 interview with Kamala Harris.

Major networks, including ABC and NBC, have also faced Trump's ire, with late-night hosts such as Jimmy Kimmel, Stephen Colbert, and Seth Meyers frequently landing on his bad side.

During a recent interview, Eisner, who previously weighed in on Jimmy Kimmel's suspension, made it clear he was not in support of Paramount's decision to settle with the Trump administration. 

"Well, I didn't like any of that. I thought the CBS settlement was ridiculous," Eisner slammed in a recent episode of "In Depth With Graham Bensinger." 

Eisner added that if he were in charge, he wouldn't have "settled as CBS did." He further explained that his decision to publicly speak up about Kimmel's suspension stemmed from mounting frustration with institutions he believes have compromised their principles.

"I just was finally fed up with universities, law firms," Eisner admitted. "I left law firms that had made deals with the administration. I thought that was bad. I didn't think I had any voice anymore, really, so it didn't matter what I did."

While Eisner is now slamming Trump for the deal with the network company, he is not the first to speak out against it. When the settlement first made headlines last year, Stephen Colbert openly condemned it on "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert."

"I believe this kind of complicated financial settlement with a sitting government official has a technical name in legal circles: it's 'big, fat bribe,'" Colbert criticized during an episode of his show, per People Magazine.

Three days following Colbert's backlash, he announced that his show, which had aired for ten seasons on CBS, had closed its curtains.

The network clarified that the cancellation was "purely a financial decision," not arising from the show's performance or content. 

Trump then celebrated the news of Colbert's show's cancellation on his Truth Social platform. "I absolutely love that Colbert' got fired. His talent was even less than his ratings. I hear Jimmy Kimmel is next," Trump wrote at that time, according to The Blast.

Trump's stance of taking legal action against network companies seemed to resurface when ABC reinstated Kimmel.

The late-night host's program was temporarily taken off the air following remarks about Charlie Kirk's death, before returning just six days later.

Unhappy with the decision, Trump took to Truth Social, criticizing Kimmel's ratings and talent. He accused the comedian of putting the network in "jeopardy by playing 99% positive Democrats garbage," per The Blast.

Trump then concluded his post with a warning about his potential next steps. "Last time I went after them, they gave me $16 million. This one sounds even more lucrative," Trump wrote.

Kimmel did not stay silent following Trump's threats against ABC. As The Blast reported, Kimmel fired back at the U.S leader, dubbing him the "mad red hatter," while tearing down his criticism. 

Kimmel dismissed Trump's claim that the White House had been informed his show was canceled. "No, they weren't," he said flatly.

When an audience member tried to interrupt, Kimmel quipped, "Shut the f-ck up. Freedom of speech is only for me. You do not interrupt the president."

The TV presenter suggested the president's remarks sounded very much like a threat to ABC, despite Trump insisting otherwise.

He then sympathized with those in Trump's inner circle, who often have to clean up what he described as Trump's self-inflicted "messes."

Trump's feud with networks didn't stop with ABC and CBS. Last November, The Blast reported that Trump called for NBC to fire Seth Meyers, accusing him of suffering from "Trump Derangement Syndrome."

Trump claimed Meyers lacked talent and viewers, citing them as part of the reasons why he should be pulled off NBC immediately.

Following Trump's outburst, FCC Chairman Brendan Carr, who previously appeared to threaten Legal action against ABC over Jimmy Kimmel, reposted Trump's rant.