Robert Redford's death this week wasn't just the loss of a screen legend. It closed the book on a Hollywood that once saw itself as America's progressive conscience. Redford, on screen as a Watergate journalist Bob Woodward in "All the President's Men," off screen as an activist for environmental issues and Indigenous rights, embodied a liberal vision of the US entertainment industry, one that championed independent voices and socially-conscious storytelling.

The week he died, however, brought further signs of a rightward shift in the US entertainment business, with the balance of cultural power increasingly tilting away from Redford's Hollywood and toward something closer to Donald Trump's America.

This was clear in the US media's reaction to the murder of far-right activist Charlie Kirk. On Wednesday, national network ABC announced it was taking popular late-night (and former Oscar) host Jimmy Kimmel off the air "indefinitely" after comments he made suggesting Kirk's killer may have been a MAGA Republican.

The move came after Brendan Carr, head of national broadcasting regulator the Federal Communications Commission, threatened that he would take action against ABC for Kimmel's comments.

This suspension comes just weeks after rival network CBS said that it was cancelling "The Late Show With Stephen Colbert" at the end of the season, citing financial reasons. 

David Ellison: Paramount media mogul aligns with Trump

But the timing of the cancellation led to questions and accusations that Stephen Colbert's show was canceled for political reasons.

In July, Paramount's CBS arm quietly paid Trump $16 million (€13.5 million) to settle a lawsuit over a 2024 "60 Minutes" interview with Kamala Harris. (Trump had claimed, without much evidence, that "60 Minutes" altered the interview to make Harris look better). CBS canceled Colbert's show after the host blasted the payout as a "big fat bribe." Colbert still collected an Emmy last Sunday, but he'll be off the air by May 2026.

This week also saw further speculation that David Ellison — son of Oracle billionaire Larry Ellison, the second-richest man in the world and a longtime Trump ally — will follow up his $8 billion takeover of Paramount with a bid for another Hollywood jewel: Warner Bros. Discovery. Such a move would unite Paramount's holdings, including CBS and the "Mission: Impossible" and "Star Trek" franchises, with Warner's stable of assets: DC Studios ("Superman," "Batman"), along with CNN and HBO.

In another era, the deal would have triggered major antitrust alarms. But under Trump, regulators have shifted focus. Officials now emphasize political "neutrality" over competition concerns, with CNN expected to face particular scrutiny.

Ellison has already shown a willingness to align with Trump's agenda. He installed conservative think-tank head and Trump advisor Kenneth Weinstein as CBS News ombudsman. He held talks with Bari Weiss, founder of the "anti-woke" Free Press, about a possible role at CBS.

A series of defamation lawsuits

Paramount isn't alone in appearing to capitulate to powerful right-wing actors. ABC News recently agreed to pay $15 million to resolve a defamation case involving Trump-critical comments made by presenter George Stephanopoulos.

The Wall Street Journal and New York Times still face similar multi-billion-dollar lawsuits from Trump.

There's also a business rationale to ABC's decision to pull Kimmel. Nexstar, which owns dozens of ABC affiliates, is currently angling for a mega-merger that would make it the biggest station owner in the US. As the pending merger still requires government approval, Nexstar pre-empted the late-night talk show on its stations. A few weeks ago, its CEO also praised the Trump administration as the company announced its upcoming $6.2 billion merger with TV rival, Tegna.

Critics warn the effect of these actions has been a chilling one, with networks, studios and streamers increasingly cautious about programming that could draw presidential ire.

Media giants renounce 'woke' values

Disney recently renounced "woke" values, with the company's CEO, Bob Iger, declaring that its mandate is to "entertain" rather than to advance "any kind of agenda." 

In the months following Trump's reelection, major studios quietly rolled back their diversity, equity and inclusion programs. Disney rebranded its cultural initiatives, while Amazon and Paramount eliminated hiring targets and training once tied to DEI. The changes follow Trump's executive order dismantling federal DEI programs and signaling regulatory scrutiny for companies that maintain them.

Churning out the conservative content

The programming shift is equally visible. Amazon is paying a jaw-dropping $40 million for two documentaries by and about Melania Trump, one directed by Brett Ratner, a director/producer cancelled during the #MeToo era. The streamer is also re-running the first seven seasons of "The Apprentice," the reality-TV show starring Trump which helped make him a household name in America.

Hollywood's conservative shift was already underway before the second Trump presidency. Taylor Sheridan's neo-Western "Yellowstone" and its spin-offs — soapy prime-time shows that embrace a worldview more at home in middle America than in the coastal urban centers — have become billion-dollar franchises despite being snubbed by the Emmys. Sheridan's latest, "Landman," places oil workers at the center of its narrative, with characters railing against clean energy and government bureaucracy.

There's been a rebirth of Christian-themed films and TV series as well. Angel Studios, a "faith-friendly" production company based in Utah, has become a breakout player. Its "Sound of Freedom" starring "The Passion of the Christ" actor Jim Caviezel, grossed $250 million worldwide. "The King of Kings," an animated film about the life of Jesus, brought in another $77 million.

Last week, Angel Studios went public, with a $1.3 billion valuation. Their upcoming projects include "Zero A. D.," an epic biblical thriller, and "Young Washington," a patriot look at the early years of America's first president.

This reorientation is not entirely about ideology. Economics play a decisive role. The movie box office is still below the level it was pre-COVID. Streaming has killed the DVD business, a big money-maker for the studios. Cord-cutting has decimated the cable TV industry. Desperate for profits, Hollywood is looking for low-cost sure bets. Faith-based and conservative-leaning films and series, often made cheaply and without A-list stars, can deliver a loyal audience and higher margins. Advertisers, too, prefer content that avoids polarizing themes.

The risk, however, is that Hollywood is trading one kind of conformity for another. This new "great unwokening," as the New Republic and others have called it, may not reflect audience demand so much as industry desperation. Just as the rise of progressive storytelling in the late 2010s coincided with streaming expansion and the search for younger subscribers, today's rightward pivot comes as studios scramble to cut costs and stabilize balance sheets.

Robert Redford once embodied the idea that Hollywood could challenge state power. Today, the entertainment industry seems less interested in challenging than surviving — and survival, for now, looks like aligning with Trump's MAGA ideology.

Edited by: Elizabeth Grenier