FCC Chair Brendan Carr and Commissioner Olivia Trusty attended a star-studded Kennedy Center gala in December 2025 using premium tickets gifted by Paramount, the company they regulate. Trusty received tickets worth over $12,000 five months after casting a decisive vote approving Paramount’s $8 billion merger with Skydance Media. Carr and his wife sat in a private skybox with Paramount CEO David Ellison, seats valued at $125,000 each. Past disclosures show Carr has accepted Kennedy Center tickets at least seven times since 2017, totaling over $63,000 in gifts.

The gala occurred as Paramount pursued a hostile takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery, culminating in an $110 billion merger requiring FCC approval. Four ethics experts told ProPublica that accepting gifts from a regulated entity with pending business before the agency constitutes a blatant conflict of interest. Former Office of Government Ethics director Walter Shaub called it “terrible” and said the commissioners should recuse themselves. Virginia Canter, a former White House ethics lawyer, called the situation “shocking” and “disturbing.”

The FCC’s review of the merger is a final hurdle for a consolidation that would unite Paramount+, HBO Max, CBS, CNN, and major studios. Over 5,000 entertainment workers and 12 Democratic states oppose the deal. The FCC currently has only three commissioners—Republicans Carr and Trusty and Democrat Anna Gomez—meaning any recusal could prevent a quorum. The FCC defends the practice as consistent across administrations, but experts reject that justification. Seven of ten commissioners since 2016 have accepted tickets worth more than $260,000 from CBS or its parent company.