Entertainment

How Casey Bloys Wound Up With Paramount-Warner Bros.’ Streaming Empire

In the end, Casey Bloys knew he was holding all the cards.
As the industry continued to speculate about whether the HBO boss or Paramount’s Cindy Holland would wind up with control of the two companies’ soon-to-be-merged streaming behemoth, in recent weeks the momentum seemed to be on Bloys’ side.
So when Paramount direct-to-consumer chair Holland told colleagues Tuesday that she would be leaving, her staff at the company was disappointed — having seen firsthand the exec’s tremendous impact inside the company over the past year — but not surprised.
Bloys had recently become a bit bullish on the merger. As he made the rounds last month during Emmys weekend, the chairman of HBO and HBO Max content wasn’t shy in sharing his hope that Paramount Skydance and Warner Bros. Discovery would soon come together. That’s because the alternative, he told industry folk, might be more dire.
The uncertainty of a deal, which at that point was still facing a lawsuit from California Attorney General Rob Bonta and 11 other state AGs, was having a negative impact on business, and it needed to be resolved, Bloys said. But his pro-deal sentiment was a bit of a break from the hope inside other Warner Bros. segments that the merger might not happen.
Industry insiders who spent time with Bloys over cocktails and canapés that weekend read his eagerness for the deal to be consummated as a sign that the exec was feeling good about his future — or, at least, HBO’s stature inside a merged Paramount-Warner Bros.
It was no secret that Bloys wouldn’t accept anything less than reporting to the combined company’s boss, David Ellison, and his domain would have to (at the very least) include everything that he oversees right now at Warner Bros. Discovery. “I think you probably know the answer to that,” he told Variety when asked in July whether he would report to anyone other than Ellison. The idea that Bloys would accept just running the HBO fiefdom — in the vein of John Landgraf’s FX purview at Disney — was a nonstarter, as Bloys’ role had long since expanded to all of the direct-to-consumer world, and such a move would have been seen by Bloys as a step back.
But that meant Ellison faced a Sophie’s choice. Ellison had made it clear that he eventually wanted to merge HBO Max and Paramount+ into a single entity, but the CEO quickly learned neither Bloys nor Holland could be expected to report to the other in a new corporate structure.
Ellison could have kicked the can down the road, as HBO Max and Paramount+ will continue to operate as separate services for consumers in the near future — given that there are different revenue streams attached to distribution deals. Both are also profitable, which means it doesn’t make sense to immediately shut one of them down and subsume it into the other one. Most immediately, HBO Max and Paramount+ can probably start being sold as a bundle, but combining the two organizations will take time (observers point to how long Disney has taken to combine Disney+ and Hulu).
Even so, it seemed very unlikely that the new company could launch with both Bloys and Holland still in charge of their respective domains. Not only would that pit the two streamers against each other internally, but a bake-off would cause huge internal distractions at a time when the company needs to focus on integrating operations. “If you’re going to do this, you should have one person guiding the strategy, and that means you’re not having any confusion with who’s being pitched and where shows are going,” said one insider.
Plus, keeping both execs would have left two hefty salaries on the books, and the new company — saddled with around $80 billion of debt — is going to have to enact massive cost cuts, and fast.
Ellison is said to be a boss who is loyal to his underlings, particularly with his own hires. And that’s why there might have been a world where Holland remained in some capacity. But others noted that Holland — who spent 16 years at Netflix as the architect of its original content strategy before a brief stint at Sister and then being wooed by Ellison — didn’t need a job she didn’t want. Said one agent: Ellison “wanted to try to make it work with everyone, and he couldn’t.”
Holland had spent the last few years in Ellison’s orbit, first as an adviser for Skydance Media on streaming as the company bought Paramount Global. After that acquisition closed in August 2025, she was his choice to come in and overall direct-to-consumer while helping him pursue Warner Bros. Discovery.
Holland was seen as one of the key leaders inside the new Paramount Skydance structure and highly respected. When she arrived, Paramount+ was a skeleton operation and needed an immediate reinvention. She brought in Jane Wiseman as executive vice president and head of originals for Paramount+, and they started to broaden out the streamer’s programming mix — greenlighting more than 25 new series in a short amount of time. “Cindy was really instrumental in a lot of the success we’ve had in the past year,” said one insider. “She really does it all.”
But HBO is HBO. If Bloys did give Ellison the ultimatum that the combined streamer needed a clear-cut, singular leader, Ellison likely knew he had to choose the 22-year HBO vet who had taken the brand to new heights. (Bloys, who first joined HBO in 2004, has run the flagship brand since 2016 and HBO Max since 2020.)
Rumors that Bloys had met with Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos — and might be plucked for a role at that company if things didn’t turn his way at ParaWarSkyBros — might have also sweetened the pot for the Bloys to stay on for Paramount-WBD. “There were all these rumors that that he was going to take this Netflix job,” one source said. It’s still unclear how real or likely such a move actually was, but Ellison may have realized he need the industry to have some clarity on who would run the Paramount-Warner Bros. streaming business before the deal closes.
“It’s hard to get inside his head,” said one source. “But if I’m David Ellison, I’m thinking I need Casey Bloys. I need HBO, and I can’t afford to lose him almost more than Cindy.”
After Bonta last week struck the controversial settlement between 12 states and Paramount Skydance that paved a path for the merger, the general consensus around town was that JB Perrette, Warner Bros. Discovery CEO/president of global streaming and games, was destined for a big job at the new company, and that Bloys wouldn’t be going anywhere. (The judge overseeing the state AGs’ case has yet to rule on the settlement.)
“He’s played his hand brilliantly,” one insider said of Bloys, even before Holland’s exit was announced. “It seems like he’s very happy, and JB too. It’s like they both have some feeling of confidence. I could see it in JB, his whole demeanor has changed, more relaxed and confident.”
For Holland, no matter how much she had accomplished over the past year in righting the Paramount+ ship, HBO will be the flagship property of this new entity, and you can’t mess with the crown jewel. In her farewell memo to colleagues, Holland admitted as much: “David is optimizing for HBO stability as we move into this next chapter, and I fully support that,” she wrote.
Meanwhile, Holland’s immediate exit has caused a scramble inside Paramount+, which remains a lean operation to begin with. A crew obviously needs to remain in place to keep the streamer operational, but it’s now unclear what this means to the staff once Bloys takes over. Because the deal hasn’t yet closed, Bloys’ oversight might not be announced until next week, which keeps things in a bit of a limbo until then.
This will greatly increase Bloys’ programming domain, starting with the Taylor Sheridan universe: “Dutton Ranch,” “Landman,” “Tulsa King,” “Lioness” and more. There’s also an upcoming fifth and final season of “Star Trek: Strange New Worlds,” Season 2 of “Dexter: Resurrection” (which returns Oct. 30) and crime drama “MobLand,” which was recently renewed for a Season 3.
Now, the new questions emerge: How will Bloys program Paramount+ vs. HBO Max, and is there crossover in what is developed and ordered while the two streamers remain separate?
“I think ‘Landman’ is something that could easily be on the periphery of HBO,” said one insider. And indeed, under Bloys, soon those Paramount+ shows and HBO series will be a part of one big family.

Entertainment

Hilary Swank, 52, announces she’s pregnant with baby No. 3

Hilary Swank is expecting her third child in December.
The “Million Dollar Baby” actress, 52, took to Instagram on Wednesday to share a video of herself, husband Philip Schneider and their 3-year-old twins, Aya and Ohm, dancing and wearing what appeared to be glow sticks taped to their bodies.
Swank also showed off her baby bump featuring a tiny glow stick baby.
“A lot of people have been asking what project I’m doing next, this one releases in December. 😉👼🏼🫶🏼,” she captioned the creative family video.
Fans in the comments thread were in disbelief, with one person writing, “Whatsssss ? Wait, am I crazy, or are you pregnant again?”
Another wrote, “Ahhh congratulations!!! How beautiful! What a fun announcement 😍❤️” while a third chimed in, “Best news of the day, week, month and year!!! CONGRATULATIONS!!!”
A fourth gushed, “As a 44 year old mom of twin 7 year olds, I’m so excited and impressed!! I would love to have another baby if only I had the stamina!!!! Enjoy your new hormones 😊”
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The Oscar winner and Schneider welcomed Aya and Ohm back in April 2023. She was 48 at the time.
“It wasn’t easy. But boy (and girl!) was it worth it. 👼🏼🤍👼🏼 Happy Easter!” she captioned a snapshot of herself holding the infants while taking in a sunset.
She added, “🐣🐣 Posting from pure Heaven. 🙌🏽.”
The actress first announced she was becoming a mom during an interview on “Good Morning America” in October 2022.
The “Beverly Hills, 90210” actress gushed that she was “so happy” to share the news, confessing that it was something she’d “been wanting for a long time.”
“And not just of one but of two,” she added.
Swank — who was previously married to actor Chad Lowe — and Schneider tied the knot in California back in 2018.
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Entertainment

Chuck Lorre says Anna Faris’ exit from ‘Mom’ confirmed his casting concerns

Chuck Lorre suggested his reservations about Anna Faris starring in “Mom” had been “correct” when she left the show for “mysterious reasons.”
The co-creator of the hit CBS comedy reveals in his new memoir, “Sitcom,” that he was initially hesitant to cast Faris, 49, in the lead role, despite her being the network’s first choice to play Christy Plunkett.
“I wasn’t sure Anna would be appropriate for this kind of material,” Lorre, 73, writes in his book. “Then I thought about how badly I’d bungled my working relationship with Charlie Sheen.”
In his memoir, Lorre claims that Melanie Lynskey was “terrified” of Sheen while filming the final episode of “Two and a Half Men” ahead of the actor’s 2011 exit from the show.
He also writes that the cast and crew were in a “constant state of anxiety” around Sheen.
Sheen, 61, would later tell Lorre to “suck his f–king butt” during a radio show tirade over his “firing,” but the pair eventually mended their relationship when Lorre realized Sheen would be perfect for a role in his HBO comedy series “Bookie.”
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Reflecting on his experience with Sheen, Lorre says he reconsidered his reservations about Faris, writing, “Someone’s personal life is none of my business. The mom in ‘Mom’ would be, and should be, Anna Faris.”
The “Scary Movie” actress went on to star alongside Allison Janney, who played Bonnie Plunkett, from 2013 to 2020, before exiting the series ahead of its eighth season.
“As the years went by, it became apparent that my initial reluctance to hire Anna was, in fact, correct,” Lorre writes in his memoir. “After six years, she left the show for mysterious reasons that were not mysterious to anyone on the show.”
Lorre praises the show’s later seasons, writing that “‘Mom’ found its true voice” by showing that “there is hope, and there is laughter in overcoming the seemingly fatal disease of alcoholism.”
He also criticizes CBS for canceling the series after eight seasons in 2021, writing, “CBS decided they could live without a perfect cast led by a national treasure. They canceled a show starring Allison Janney.”
Faris would later open up about her decision to leave “Mom” during a June appearance on the “Happy Sad Confused” podcast.
“I do think the intensity, like, towards the end, I think I started to lose my focus,” Faris said.
“I’d never had a job, besides waitressing, for over three and a half months before,” she added, noting that her decision to leave came during a “complicated time.”
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Entertainment

Listen to Hayden Panettiere 911 call as Brian Hickerson’s brother desperately tries to save actress’ life

Zach Hickerson’s desperate attempts to save actress Hayden Panettiere’s life have been revealed in a a newly released 911 audio dispatch.
A 911 call, obtained by CBS News Wednesday, revealed Brian Hickerson’s brother called authorities in a panic after finding the “Heroes” alum unresponsive in an Airbnb in South Carolina on Aug. 16.
“Oh god, oh my god,” Zach — who said he had just returned from church when he found her — can be heard on the call before the dispatcher asked if Panettiere was breathing. “No, I don’t think so.”
The dispatcher instructed Zach to find a defibrillator, which he was unable to locate. He then confirmed the actress was not breathing.
“OK, we need to start CPR,” the dispatcher told Zach. “I’m going to tell you how to do CPR, OK? We’re gonna start with ventilation first.”
Zach proceeded to perform the life-saving measures on Panettiere until first responders arrived and took over.
The “I Love You Beth Cooper” star was pronounced dead at the scene at 2:32 p.m. local time. She was 36.
Additionally, a police report previously obtained by Page Six revealed Brian, who was involved in an on-again, off-again relationship with Panettiere since 2018, gave officers a “bag of medication” she had been taking.
Page Six confirmed that Panettiere died from the toxic effects of 4-ANPP, fentanyl, methocarbamol, alprazolam and quetiapine.
Her manner of death was ruled an accident, with “no signs of trauma were discovered that would have contributed to the death.”
Hayden’s death was confirmed by her father, Skip Panettiere, via a statement that same day.
“She was an incredible light and a force of nature who brought immeasurable love and joy to all who knew her — and to the millions who watched her onscreen,” he wrote. “We ask for privacy as our family takes time to process this unimaginable loss.”
Ahead of her death, Hayden was candid about her ongoing addiction to opioids and alcohol, and her journey with postpartum depression.
The “Nashville” alum recalled in 2015 the “really scary” and “painful” experience after she gave birth to her and her then-fiancé Wladimir Klitschko’s now 11-year-old daughter, Kaya.
“There’s a lot of misunderstanding — there’s a lot of people out there that think it’s not real, that’s it not true, that it’s something that’s made up in their minds, that, ‘Oh, it’s hormones,’” she shared on a vulnerable episode of “Live with Kelly and Michael.”
“They brush it off. It’s something that’s completely uncontrollable. It’s really painful and it’s really scary and women need a lot of support.”
Ultimately, Hayden’s battle with addiction led to her engagement with Klitschko ending in 2018, and her giving full custody of Kaya to her ex.
“It was the hardest thing I ever had to do,” Hayden said in 2022, per People. “But I wanted to be a good mom to her — and sometimes that means letting them go.”
According to a Greenville County Coroner’s Office obtained by Page Six, Hayden had allegedly overdosed and entered rehab before she died.

Entertainment

Kaley Cuoco gives birth to second baby with fiancé Tom Pelphrey

Kaley Cuoco and fiancé Tom Pelphrey’s second child has arrived.
The “Big Bang Theory” alum gave birth to baby No. 2, a girl named Philomena Carmine Bobby, on Monday, three years after welcoming daughter Matilda.
“There are no words to describe this feeling once again,” Cuoco, 40, wrote on Instagram Wednesday, alongside photos of the couple with their newborn daughter.
“What a blessing,” she continued. “We are so grateful for the crazy wild up and down journey that brought us to our little Philo! Family officially complete 😭Time to bring Matilda’s baby home! 😂💕.”
Cuoco also wrote that Pelphrey’s “life exploded the minute we met, and the gifts keep coming.”
“I love you forever, girl daddy,” she concluded her post.
The actress announced her pregnancy news — and the little one’s sex — in a June Instagram post.
“completing our little family , what a dream come true ! 💖” Cuoco captioned the social media upload at the time.
“This second time around journey has been a little windier in many ways, but wow we are so grateful for this moment!!” she continued. “Little sissy on the way!!!”
The “Flight Attendant” star concluded by dubbing her partner a “girl dad for life.”
She and Pelphrey, 44, have been an item since 2022.
The duo, who share the same management team, started dating on the heels of Cuoco’s divorce from second husband Karl Cook.
Before marrying the equestrian in 2018, Cuoco was married to tennis star Ryan Sweeting from 2013 to 2016.
Five months after going public with Pelphrey, Cuoco revealed she and the “Ozark” alum were starting a family.
Matilda was born in March 2023, with the new mom gushing, “Overjoyed and grateful for this little miracle. … @tommypelphrey didn’t think I could fall even more in love with you, but I did.”
The following year, Pelphrey proposed to the Emmy nominee — despite her previously swearing off ever walking down the aisle again.
“Amazing weekend,” the bride-to-be wrote alongside her August 2024 engagement ring debut.
Cuoco subsequently teased to People that “maybe another kid” would “come first” before they walked down the aisle.
The “Meet Cute” star, who had yet to “start planning anything” for their nuptials, quipped, “We’re gonna go way out of order. That’s our plan.”

Entertainment

‘Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed’ Renewed For Season 2 By Apple TV

Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed will be back for another go-round. Apple TV announced Wednesday that it has renewed the dark comedy thriller for a second season.
A writers room is underway, we hear, with Season 2 production slated for the first half of 2027.
Starring Emmy winner Tatiana Maslany and Jake Johnson, Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed follows newly divorced mom Paula (Maslany) as she falls down a dangerous rabbit hole of blackmail, murder and youth soccer. Convinced that she witnessed a crime — while simultaneously struggling through a custody battle and an identity crisis — Paula begins her own investigation, one that could unravel a greater conspiracy while also holding the keys to rebuilding her family and sense of self.
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The series hails from Apple Studios and Counterpart Studios and is written and executive produced by creator and showrunner David J. Rosen. David Gordon Green served as director and executive producer. The series is also developed by and executive produced by Simon Kinberg and Audrey Chon for Genre Films under their first-look deal with Apple TV, and Bard Dorros for Anonymous Content.
In addition to Maslany and Johnson, the ensemble cast is led by Murray Bartlett, Dolly De Leon, Brandon Flynn, Jessy Hodges, Jon Michael Hill, Charlie Hall, Kiarra Hamagami Goldberg and Nola Wallace.
“We are delighted to continue the story of MPG and deeply grateful to Apple and our incredible cast and crew,” said Rosen. “This is all pretty amazing for a show whose title came from a spam email.”