Paramount Sued Over Alleged DEI Discrimination

In the ongoing conversation around diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in corporate America, a new lawsuit has emerged. A former white executive at Paramount has filed a discrimination suit, alleging that he was fired due to the company’s DEI policies, which he claims prioritized hiring minorities and younger employees over him.

Allegations of Racial and Age Discrimination

Joseph Jerome, who spent 30 years with Paramount from 1994 to 2024, filed the lawsuit in California federal court on October 31. Jerome, who most recently served as senior vice president of business and legal affairs and production counsel for Entertainment Tonight, alleges that Paramount’s now-defunct DEI policies linked staffing goals and executive compensation to diversity metrics. He claims he was terminated because he is not a person of color.

The lawsuit also includes allegations of age discrimination. Jerome asserts that he was one of three CBS Media Ventures (CMV) attorneys over the age of 50 and white who were terminated last year. He claims they were replaced by younger, minority employees. Specifically, Jerome alleges a 25-year-old Black law school graduate took his role, while his two former colleagues, whose positions were eliminated in a corporate restructuring, were replaced by younger Asian attorneys.

Concerns Over DEI Practices

Jerome’s suit points to a November 2023 meeting led by then-CBS News president Wendy McMahon, where she reportedly expressed concern about the older demographics within her division and instructed staff to hire younger employees to attract a younger audience. Jerome claims he was later criticized for thinking “old” after questioning a misused legal term in a potential deal.

This lawsuit follows a similar settlement in April, where CBS Studios reached an agreement with a SEAL Team script coordinator who alleged that Paramount enforced illegal diversity quotas discriminating against straight white men. The timing of these legal challenges coincides with a broader reevaluation of DEI policies across Hollywood, with companies like Paramount, Disney, and Warner Bros. Discovery rolling back or rebranding such programs, partly in response to a Trump administration executive order targeting DEI initiatives.