Hollywood Ditches DEI to Avoid Donald Trump’s Wrath

variety.com:

DEI efforts. The first installment highlighted Latino representation in “Blue Beetle” and home renovation show “Rico to the Rescue.” But after regular updates in 2024, the digest went silent after the election of President Trump.

Last week, the feature was dropped from the company’s DEI page, along with WBD’s commitments to equity and diversity outreach, as the company narrowed its focus to “inclusion.” The move came as Trump has sought to stamp out DEI programs at the federal level and threatened civil and criminal investigations of private companies.

Last month, the Federal Communications Commission opened an investigation of Comcast, the parent of NBCUniversal — and MSNBC — for possibly pursuing “invidious forms of discrimination” under the banner of DEI. “Bullying is causing a lot of companies to reassess,” says Vernā Myers, former head of inclusion at Netflix. “Most smart companies are just trying to figure out how far this is going to go.

They’re trying to stay out of the crosshairs.” For its part, a spokesperson for Comcast said the company will cooperate with the FCC to answer their questions, adding, “for decades, our company has been built on a foundation of integrity and respect for all of our employees and customers.” But the Comcast experience isn’t one other media conglomerates want to repeat.