Paramount president Jeff Shell negotiates exit after accusations of

Paramount president Jeff Shell negotiates exit after accusations of

Paramount Skydance President Jeff Shell is reportedly negotiating his exit after being accused in a bombshell lawsuit by a high-stakes gambler and self-described fixer of leaking confidential company info.

Shell is in talks about his departure after less than a 12 months on the job, which he landed following Paramount’s merger with Skydance, the Status publication reported.

The potential exit would mark another blow for the former NBCUniversal boss, who was fired in 2023 after an inside investigation discovered he had an inappropriate relationship with a subordinate, then-CNBC anchor Hadley Gamble.

Jeff Shell is negotiating his exit from Paramount less than a 12 months after taking the top job, according to a report. Getty Images

Shell’s troubles together with his current employer went into overdrive after RJ Cipriani, a Santa Monica, Calif.-based gambler, filed a lawsuit against him alleging that he leaked confidential, market-moving company info and reneged on a deal for months of unpaid disaster communications work.

Shell has denied wrongdoing, and his authorized team has blasted the claims as false and defamatory.

The litigation is ongoing, and the allegations haven’t been confirmed in courtroom.

Paramount has launched an inside investigation into the claims, which is anticipated to wrap up in the coming weeks, according to studies.

Cipriani claims he offered Shell 18 months of public-relations consulting that included planting favorable media coverage and steering unfavorable tales away from the government — all without pay.

A lawsuit filed against Shell by a high-stakes gamble seemed to be the last straw for Paramount Skydance CEO David Ellison. WireImage

In return, Shell allegedly promised to make use of his clout at Paramount to develop a TV project tied to Cipriani’s late mom — a deal the lawsuit says was never honored.

The grievance also accuses Shell of sharing carefully held company secrets and techniques, including particulars of Paramount’s $7 billion UFC rights deal weeks before it was announced and inside strategy round its blockbuster bid for Warner Bros. Discovery.

In one alleged comment, Shell told Cipriani the company was “paying way too much” for WBD and will get it “a whole lot cheaper” if it waited —- a press release the lawsuit frames as disclosure of delicate inside deliberations.

RJ Cipriani, a self-described fixer and high-stakes gambler, filed a $150 million lawsuit against Jeff Shell. Amazon Prime

Cipriani additional alleges that Shell dangled false assurances about backing his TV concept, at one point blaming a so-called employees review that never truly occurred — what the lawsuit describes as a “phantom staffer” excuse used to string him alongside.

When Cipriani pressed for fee or progress, Shell allegedly refused — together with his lawyer later providing $150,000 out of pocket to quietly settle the dispute, according to the grievance.

The lawsuit also consists of eyebrow-raising private claims, alleging Shell privately feared the release of messages tied to his past relationship with Gamble would “absolutely destroy” him.

Hadley Gamble, the CNBC anchor whose relationship with Jeff Shell led to his 2023 ouster from NBCUniversal. Getty Images

And in an extra twist, Cipriani accused Shell of transferring property into his spouse’s identify to defend them from potential claims — an allegation that varieties the foundation of a separate fraud-related depend in the swimsuit.

Inside Paramount, the Cipriani lawsuit seems to have been the tipping point, according to Status.

The publication reported that the authorized battle worsened current tensions round Shell — including issues about leaks and his standing with colleagues — in the end pushing Paramount Skydance CEO David Ellison and his team towards parting methods with the exec.

Shell allegedly promised to make use of his clout at Paramount to develop a TV project tied to Cipriani’s late mom. Getty Images

The turmoil comes at a fragile second for Paramount, as Ellison seeks approval for his mega-deal to accumulate WBD.

“This is a terrible look for Paramount,” Jason Greer, a labor and worker relations professional generally known as “The Employee Whisperer,” told The Post.

“When you have a senior executive like Jeff Shell leaking confidential information of this caliber to outside sources it usually means two things – Shell’s relationship with RJ Cipriani left him extremely compromised [and] Paramount is a proverbial leaking ship, meaning that internal, secret information is likely being leaked from multiple sources.”

The Post has sought remark from Paramount, Shell and Cipriani.

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