John Leguizamo Warns David Ellison Over Paramount-Warner Bros. Merger

John Leguizamo used his acceptance speech at the Critics Choice Association's 6th Annual Celebración of Cinema & Television on Friday to demand that David Ellison protect Los Angeles as he takes charge of the new Skydance following the Paramount and Warner Bros. merger.

"Come on, Dave. Do the right thing. Don't just think of yourself and your pocket. Think of what Americans need and what the industry needs. Think of others for a change," Leguizamo said.

Leguizamo, who received the Career Achievement Award at the event, addressed the terms of the merger directly. The deal prohibits Paramount-WBD from selling the Paramount Studios or Warner Bros. lots in California for at least five years. For Leguizamo, that protection falls short.

"You got an end date. You got an expiration date. That's not cool," he said. "People have to plan for the rest of their lives. They plan for five years, and then what?"

His argument was categorical about where the business belongs. "The industry belongs in L.A.," he said. "We need to support it and grow it. Rebuild it and add to it. Not subtract."

Leguizamo's speech continues a campaign he joined in April, when he was one of more than 4,000 film and TV stars and creatives who signed an open letter opposing Paramount Skydance's pending acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery. The New York Times published the letter, and it remains available on the website BlocktheMerger.com.

The letter framed the stakes in economic and civic terms. "We are deeply concerned by indications of support for this merger that prioritize the interests of a small group of powerful stakeholders over the broader public good," it read. "The integrity, independence, and diversity of our industry would be grievously compromised. Competition is essential for a healthy economy and a healthy democracy. So is thoughtful regulation and enforcement."

The signatory list reads like a festival lineup. Joaquin Phoenix, Ben Stiller, Kristen Stewart, Robert De Niro, Sofia Coppola, Florence Pugh, Pedro Pascal and Edward Norton signed. So did David Fincher, Denis Villeneuve, JJ Abrams, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Mark Ruffalo, Jane Fonda, Glenn Close, Bryan Cranston, Ted Danson and Yorgos Lanthimos. Comedians and actors including Tiffany Haddish, Tig Notaro, Rosie O'Donnell, Ramy Youssef, Rosario Dawson and Atsuko Okatsuka added their names, alongside directors Adam McKay and Boots Riley.

Leguizamo's remarks now put a personal, public face on that collective opposition — delivered not at a protest or in a press release, but on a stage where the industry had gathered to honor his career. By invoking Ellison by name and challenging him to "think of others for a change," he has shifted pressure from regulators and signatories to the executive who will soon control two of Hollywood's most storied studio lots.