Leaving California: Tennessee is Romancing Paramount

Tennessee is courting David Ellison’s Paramount, The Hollywood Reporter reported Tuesday.

Amid California’s effort to block Paramount’s $111 billion acquisition of Warner Bros., the state of Tennessee has invited the David Ellison-owned studio to relocate there.

Tuesday, radio talk show host Clay Travis of the Clay and Buck Show posted the letter to X and said:

Come to Tennessee, Paramount! If California is trying to shut you down, we’d love to have you and all the entertainment jobs you’d bring. Good recruiting @GovBillLee and @CommishTNECD.

Come to Tennessee, Paramount! If California is trying to shut you down, we’d love to have you and all the entertainment jobs you’d bring. Good recruiting @GovBillLee and @CommishTNECD. https://t.co/N2dYfvrECN

— Clay Travis (@ClayTravis) July 15, 2026

And Governor Bill Lee was already on it:

Tennessee is a place where innovation & creativity thrive. Paramount has played an important role in shaping American culture, & we’d welcome the opportunity to see the next chapter of that story unfold in the Volunteer State. https://t.co/erKpXn1J8z

— Gov. Bill Lee (@GovBillLee) July 15, 2026

The Hollywood Reporter broke the story:

In a letter to Ellison on July 2, Tennessee Deputy Governor Stuart McWhorter urged the Paramount CEO to relocate the studio’s corporate headquarters amid a rift with California over its $111 billion takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery.

“Our success is rooted in fiscal discipline, low taxes, predictable governance, and a steadfast belief that government should be a partner in private-sector growth,” stated the letter. “Companies that choose Tennessee find more than a favorable business climate — they find a state committed to helping them succeed.”

The Globe reported Monday, Paramount Considering Moving its HQ, Pulling $30B Annual Spending out of California, and Tuesday California Leads Coalition of 12 States in Antitrust Lawsuit to Block $110 Billion Paramount-Warner Bros Discovery Merger.

The loss to the California economy would be roughly $30 billion.

Today, I announced a lawsuit to block the proposed $110 billion merger between Paramount Skydance and Warner Bros. Discovery—the largest merger in Hollywood history. If allowed to move forward, this merger would reduce competition, limit creative diversity, and diminish the… pic.twitter.com/OCBjjaZr2S

— Rob Bonta (@RobBonta) July 13, 2026

Monday morning, Paramount was reportedly considering moving its headquarters and pulling $30B in annual spending out of California, as the company is under threat of litigation by California Attorney General Rob Bonta over its merger with Warner Brothers.

According to Semafor, advisers close to Paramount CEO David Ellison have urged him to consider relocating the company’s corporate headquarters and redirecting much of its planned $30 billion in annual investmentout of the state if AG General Rob Bonta files a lawsuit to block the Paramount, Warner Brothers, Discovery $110 billion merger. 

But by Monday afternoon, Bonta and attorneys general from 11 other states filed suit in federal court in San Francisco, seeking to block Paramount Skydance Corporation’s proposed $110 billion-plus acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery.

“With this lawsuit, California and our sister states are fighting for free and fair markets, not rigged markets. America has no kings in government or our economy,” Bonta said. 

The Democrat-led coalition includes the attorneys general of blue-states Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, and Washington, in addition to California.

Notably, in 2024, Oracle CEO Larry Ellison announced he would be moving Oracle from Austin to Nashville, Tennessee.

The Globe reported:

Headquartered in Santa Clara in 1977, Oracle became a behemoth while headquartered in California. However, by the late 2010’s, high taxes and California’s unfriendly business practices made Oracle reconsider staying in California. The pandemic and California’s 3-year lockdowns sealed the deal as a more flexible work policy for employees eliminated the need for such a large HQ in California. In December 2020, Oracle announced they would be moving to Texas. Ellison too also left California, making Hawaii his permanent residence.

The Hollywood Reporter continues:

The invitation was delivered as California signaled its intent to block the deal. Paramount has extended what it perceived as an olive branch leading up to the filing of Monday’s lawsuit by committing to produce 30 films per year with a 45-day theatrical window, an offer that was ultimately rejected.

Leaving California isn’t optimal considering Paramount relocated out of New York last year, but a longtime adviser to Ellison tells THR that “everything is on the table.”

Everything is on the table. As it should be.