Shari Redstone Discloses Thyroid Cancer Diagnosis
Paramount Global chair Shari Redstone has disclosed that she underwent surgery for thyroid cancer in May after being diagnosed earlier this year.
A spokesperson for Redstone said, 'Shari Redstone was diagnosed with thyroid cancer earlier this spring. While it has been a challenging period, she is maintaining all professional and philanthropic activities throughout her treatment, which is ongoing. She and her family are grateful that her prognosis is excellent.'
More from Variety
Paramount Global, With Skydance Deal and Trump Lawsuit Pending, Names Three New Board Members for Election at July 2 Annual Meeting
California Senators Suggest Paramount-Trump Settlement Would Amount to a Bribe and Harm Independent Press
Paramount Lands 'Guys With No Friends' Comedy Script From Deborah Kaplan and Harry Elfont After Bidding War (EXCLUSIVE)
Redstone, 71, is in the midst of trying to close the high-stakes deal with Skydance Media that will see it merge with Paramount, the owner of CBS and other television stations, streaming platforms and Paramount Pictures. That agreement was struck in July 2024 but remains in limbo, as it still hasn't been approved by the FCC, led by Trump ally Brendan Carr. She's also dealing with a lawsuit filed by President Trump against the CBS news division over a '60 Minutes' interview with Kamala Harris.
Her cancer diagnosis is another difficult wrinkle in the already-tangled situation Redstone has been working to resolve.
According to the New York Times, which first reported the story, Redstone said she consulted doctors about two months ago after experiencing fatigue and other symptoms. She had surgery to remove her thyroid gland, but surgeons were unable to remove the cancer cells that had spread to her vocal cords. She continues to be treated with radiation, the spokesperson said.
Redstone had shared the news of her diagnosis with David Ellison, the head of Skydance, and with close family members and friends. If and when the Paramount-Skydance deal closes, Redstone will leave the merged company's board.
Best of Variety
New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week
Emmy Predictions: Animated Program — Can Netflix Score Big With 'Arcane,' 'Devil May Cry' and the Final Season of 'Big Mouth?'
What's Coming to Netflix in June 2025
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Wall Street Journal
26 minutes ago
- Wall Street Journal
GOP Senators' Competing Demands Risk Pulling Trump Megabill Apart
WASHINGTON—Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R., S.D.) is trying to release this week a revised version of President Trump's 'big, beautiful bill.' But as he races to pass the legislation ahead of Republicans' self-imposed July 4 deadline, he has got about as many problems as there are GOP senators, with lawmakers battling over the additional borrowing and spending cuts that will be used to finance tax relief, plus spending on the border and military.
Yahoo
26 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Oprah Winfrey Recreates Viral 'Wicked 'Finger-Holding Moment with Cynthia Erivo During 2025 Tony Awards: Watch
Cynthia Erivo and Oprah Winfrey recreated Erivo and Ariana Grande's viral "holding space" Wicked press tour meme at the 2025 Tony Awards on Sunday, June 8 "The only thing you need to do is just be yourself," Winfrey told Erivo, before Erivo grasped her finger and the two women smiled knowingly Erivo is hosting the ceremony, airing live now from New York City's Radio City Music Hall on CBS and Paramount+Cynthia Erivo is holding space for Oprah Winfrey at the 2025 Tony Awards. The actress and singer, 38, began the ceremony at Radio City Music Hall in New York City on Sunday, June 8, with a sequence that showed her emerging from her dressing room on her way to the stage to host — only to be accosted by several people giving her tips on how to stage her opening number. The final person Erivo ran into before her big entrance? None other than icon Winfrey, 71, who gave her a useful pep talk. "What do you do when everyone is telling you what you need to do?" Erivo asked Winfrey, who replied, "Forget about them, babe! The only thing you need to do is just be yourself." The two women then smiled knowingly after Winfrey stuck out her right index finger, which Erivo grasped — a cheeky nod to the viral "holding space" moment between Erivo and her Wicked costar Ariana Grande that came out of their Wicked press tour last fall. Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human-interest stories. View this post on Instagram A post shared by CBS (@cbstv) In the original interview that went viral in November 2024, Out journalist Tracy Gilchrist told Erivo and Grande, 31, that the LGBTQ+ community was connecting with and "holding space with" the lyrics of "Defying Gravity." In an interview with Variety the following month, Grande said that in that moment, Erivo looked like she might cry. So Grande provided support to her friend the only way she could think of in the moment: clutching Erivo's index finger and tapping her long acrylic nail. Fans quickly reposted and recreated the moment on social media following the exchange. Grande recalled of the interview to Variety, '[Gilchrist] said something that meant something to her, then it meant something totally different to [Erivo], and then she tried to kind of get somewhere else. I remember in the moment asking myself, 'Am I okay? Did I not hear something?' ... because she looks like she was about to cry again.' is now available in the Apple App Store! Download it now for the most binge-worthy celeb content, exclusive video clips, astrology updates and more! The 'Thank U, Next' singer then shared that she decided to grab Erivo's finger at that moment 'because I [thought] you might need something." 'And I don't know what the tapping was about,' Grande continued, as Erivo jokingly added, 'Tension, tension." Grande then reflected on all the memes about the interview that were shared on social media, stating that they were "so beautiful.' 'I feel really relieved that the world had the same experience with this moment that I did, because I felt like, 'Oh I'm not broken.' The best thing to is to really hold space with that,' she joked. See PEOPLE's full coverage of the 78th annual Tony Awards at New York City's Radio City Music Hall, airing now on CBS and Paramount+. Read the original article on People
Yahoo
31 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Cynthia Erivo's Original Song Provides Lively Opening To Tony Awards As She Earns A Standing Ovation
Following a rousing opening to the Oscars in March, where Cynthia Erivo was joined by Wicked co-star Ariana Grande for a medley of the classic musical's hits 'Somewhere Over the Rainbow' (from The Wizard of Oz) and 'Defying Gravity,' the Jesus Christ Superstar actress brought the same powerhouse vocals to the first moments of Tony Awards, the 78th edition of which she is hosting live from Radio City Music Hall today. Broadcasting live on CBS and streamer Paramount+, the inaugural moments of the fete began with Erivo backstage getting prodded by various backstage helpers into zhuzhing up her opening act with stunts and gimmicks in order to grab audiences and excite them: There were suggestions to push an assistant down the stairs à la Death Becomes Her (not to worry, there's worker's comp), while Abbott Elementary's Larry Owens advocated for her to just do her famous run in 'Defying Gravity.' And for some reason, Hugh Jackman wanted to know if he could order dozens of trombones? (A decisive no from Erivo on that front.) More from Deadline Deadline's Tony Awards Live Blog How To Watch Sunday's Tony Awards: Red Carpet, Preshow & Cynthia Erivo-Hosted Ceremony As Nomination Voting Nears, Are Emmy FYC Campaigns Outspending Oscars? Plus My Surefire Tony Award Predictions Based On Seeing Only Six Shows - Notes On The Season However, as Erivo strutted toward the stage in a dazzling, sequined off-the-shoulder red gown, she was met with Oprah Winfrey, with whom she recreated the viral finger-holding moment she previously shared with Grande during the press run for Wicked. Getting some encouragement from the media mogul, she launched into an original number, 'Sometimes All You Need Is a Song.' The Tony winner belted the tune, her powerhouse vocals later accompanied by a white-clad choir that added sweeping gospel touches to the song. As she sang 'It's our stories and our songs that let us soar,' she shouted out Tony nominees like Audra McDonald, Cole Escola and Sarah Snook (who just won Leading Actress for her one-woman role in The Picture of Dorian Gray). The Poker Face actress then descended the stage to the crowd, getting the likes of Kristin Chenoweth and Adam Lambert to contribute vocals to the ballad. The performance came amid the promotional push for the second part to the blockbuster first installment of Jon M. Chu's Wicked. Titled Wicked: For Good and bowing in theaters this Thanksgiving, the continuation will mark the progression of Elphaba's (Erivo) and Glinda's (Grande) story. Transitioning to introduce the awards show, Erivo began in a short monologue: 'There's no place like home, and Broadway has always been mine.' While pointing out first-time nominees like Sadie Sink, Erivo also threw a lighthearted jab highlighting 'an up-and-comer I think you're gonna hear a lot about, George Clooney.' Touting Broadway's 'most financially lucrative year ever,' she said, 'Broadway is officially back — provided we don't run out of cast members from Succession,' which got a big laugh from Snook just moments before the Shiv Roy actress clinched her statuette. Best of Deadline 2025 TV Series Renewals: Photo Gallery 2025 TV Cancellations: Photo Gallery 'Stick' Soundtrack: All The Songs You'll Hear In The Apple TV+ Golf Series
