Why did Shari Redstone do it?

August 20, 2025

The media mogul Shari Redstone spoke at length for the first time about the sale of her family’s empire, Paramount’s settlement with President Trump — and about her battered reputation coming out the other side.

A photo illustration with green, black and white CBS eyes, dollar signs and strips of film features an image of Shari Redstone in the center, her father, Sumner Redstone, in the upper left, and Scott Pelley, Brendan Carr, David Ellison and Stephen Colbert scattered below.

Illustration by Ben Jones. Photography: Shari Redstone: Bloomberg. Paramount tower: Stella Kalinina for The New York Times. Brendan Carr, “Late Show” sign, Stephen Colbert, David Ellison, Scott Pelley and Sumner Redstone: Getty Images. Federal Trade Commission: Associated Press. Clock: CBS News, via Associated Press.

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