Chaos at Paramount as MAGA-friendly CBS News boss refuses to dump guru in Epstein files
Drama unfolded behind closed doors at the MAGA-fied CBS News as new editor-in-chief Bari Weiss reportedly refuses to dump controversial wellness expert Peter Attia, whose name popped up in the Jeffrey Epstein documents released Friday. And now she's on a collision course with Paramount's top brass.
The battle intensified after newly released Epstein emails revealed Attia had swapped hundreds of chummy messages with the late accused sex trafficker, making crude jokes and gushing about his "outrageous" lifestyle. Attia's name appears a whopping 1,700 times in the email trove.
But Weiss isn't backing down to pressure to cut ties with Attia, The Wrap reported Monday.
Attia was one of 19 new contributors Weiss brought into CBS News, viewing the move as surrendering to mob pressure, according to the report. Top Paramount executives, however, see this as a straightforward HR nightmare.
"It's Bari versus everyone right now on Attia," an insider revealed, with sources indicating CEO David Ellison will ultimately have to make the final call.
The wellness influencer, who boasts 1.7 million Instagram followers and a popular YouTube channel, has issued an apology claiming he was never involved in Epstein's crimes and never attended any illicit gatherings.
This is just the latest controversy clouding Weiss's rocky four-month tenure.
Recently, her decision to elevate Tony Dokoupil to CBS Evening News backfired with a humiliating botched rollout. She also faced backlash over shelved "60 Minutes" segments.