Hegseth blasts CNN: ‘The sooner David Ellison takes over that network, the better’
Defense Secretary Hegseth denounced CNNs Iran-war coverage and urged Paramount CEO David Ellison to take over the network.
Image: GlobalBeat / 2026
📌 KEY FACTS
• Hegseth spoke Friday morning, no specific show cited
• Target: CNN reports that White House “underestimated” Iran war impact on Hormuz shipping
• Referenced deal: Skydance CEO David Ellison’s pending $8 billion Paramount purchase, which includes CNN rival CBS
• No Pentagon retraction or CNN response as of midday Friday
• Historical echo: 2003 “embed” clashes when Rumsfeld called Al Jazeera “propaganda”
WASHINGTON — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth burst into the Iran media fight Friday, branding CNN “fake news” and cheering for David Ellison to seize control of the network “the sooner, the better,” injecting a pending Hollywood studio takeover into a war-zone messaging battle.
The outburst, aired on social media and replayed by conservative outlets, lands one week after U.S. and Iranian forces exchanged fire near the Strait of Hormuz and as the White House tries to keep global oil markets calm. Hegseth’s jab at Ellison merges two Washington fixations: press distrust and media-industry dealmaking.
Hegseth’s tirade: “Patently ridiculous”
In a 38-second clip filmed outside the Pentagon, Hegseth accused CNN of claiming the administration “underestimated” the naval shutdown risk. “Patently ridiculous, of course,” he said, waving a printed transcript. “For decades Iran has menaced those waters; we mapped every scenario.” He ended by praising the Skydance CEO: “The sooner David Ellison takes over that network, the better.” The video racked up 2.4 million views within three hours, eclipsing the official Pentagon briefing on troop deployments.
Why Ellison? The Paramount deal explained
Ellison’s Skydance Media is finalising an $8 billion merger with Paramount Global, home of CBS News, not CNN. CNN remains owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. Hegseth’s apparent conflation—urging a non-buyer to fix a non-asset—startled industry analysts. “He may be using ‘Ellison’ as shorthand for ‘new media sheriff,’” said Richmond media professor Simone Grant. Still, the remark yanked the transaction into partisan crossfire just as regulators review the tie-up.
CNN silent, competitors pounce
CNN’s public-relations office issued no on-record reply by 1 p.m. Instead, anchors read a three-sentence statement noting “continuous, multi-source reporting on Hormuz tanker traffic.” Fox News carved out nine minutes of prime time to replay Hegseth’s clip, while MSNBC ran a chyron asking, “Pentagon bullying press?” The absence of a fuller CNN rebuttal leaves the administration’s narrative partly unchallenged on air.
Hormuz stakes: 21% of world oil
The strait carries 21% of global petroleum supply, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. After Iran seized two commercial tankers last weekend, benchmark Brent crude jumped 4.3%. Hegseth insists Navy escorts keep lanes open; shipping insurers disagree, hiking war-risk premiums to $300,000 per supertanker voyage. Analysts say that surcharge alone can erase profit for cargo owners, regardless of who controls any cable network.
White House messaging war
President Trump’s team needs to dampen gasoline-price fears ahead of summer driving season. Hegseth, installed last month, has appeared on five morning shows in eight days. A senior defense official said the secretary’s CNN blast was “not pre-cleared but not unwelcome,” signalling latitude to rally the base while diplomats court Asian importers to resist Iranian discounts.
Ellison’s thin line: profit vs. politics
People close to Ellison say he wants Skydance-Paramount judged on streaming growth, not partisan narratives. The CEO donated to both parties in 2020 but has stayed silent on Hormuz coverage. Regulatory filings show the deal awaits FCC and European Commission vetting; any perception he is Trump’s favoured media fixer could complicate approval in Brussels, where Rupert Murdoch’s past acquisitions still raise eyebrows.
But the challenge runs deeper than a misattributed takeover. Even if Ellison controlled CNN, Washington’s proxy war over facts would simply shift platforms, following audiences to TikTok, Telegram, and Elon Musk’s X, where Hormuz tanker videos now outperform Pentagon briefings five-to-one.
Imagine Rita Campos, a Lisbon mother driving her daughter to university. She fills up Tuesday at €1.94 a litre—up 11 cents since the drone strikes. Campos has never watched CNN International; she scrolls Portuguese Telegram channels that splice Hegseth clips with Iranian speedboat footage. The secretary’s “fake news” line, subtitled in Portuguese, convinces her the Americans are hiding something. She cancels a weekend trip, nudging Europe’s demand forecast down 0.2%—tiny, yet multiplied across millions of anonymous choices.
Britain’s Ministry of Defence faced similar pushback last year when it briefed against Russian claims about North Sea cables, learning that rapid, document-heavy rebuttals gained traction while blanket “disinformation” labels backfired. Tokyo, meanwhile, worries any Hormuz closure could idle car plants dependent on Gulf petrochemicals, reminding lawmakers that energy security, not media ownership, drives global risk premiums.
The Pentagon has promised a classified Iran briefing for all network bureau chiefs next Wednesday. Insiders expect Hegseth to attend, giving CNN a chance to confront him on camera. Until then, anchors will keep replaying traffic-cam clips of empty tanker decks while insurers decide whether to extend the elevated war-risk zone another 30 days.