A former Paramount executive reportedly filed a discrimination lawsuit against the entertainment company on Friday, claiming he was fired for thinking “old” and being white.
Joseph Jerome filed a lawsuit in California federal court challenging Paramount’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) policies, which the 58-year-old says led to his firing in 2024, according to a report by the Hollywood Reporter.
Notably, Paramount’s DEI-related policies have since been rolled back or eliminated following President Donald Trump’s inauguration.
Now, Jerome — who had worked for Paramount since 1994 and most recently served as production counsel to Entertainment Tonight — alleges in his lawsuit that he and two other white CBS Media Ventures (CMV) attorneys were fired and replaced with minority employees.
The former Paramount executive reportedly claims he was replaced by a 25-year-old black law school graduate and ex-CMV intern, while his two ex-colleagues were replaced by young Asian attorneys whose former jobs were eliminated due to corporate restructuring.