Stewart’s Apple Confessional, Trump’s Doug Bug, Malone’s F1 Fantasy

Happy Friday and welcome back to The Daily Courant, your afternoon package of Puck’s best new reporting.

First up today, Matthew Belloni brilliantly dissects the fallout for Paramount Global now that the Ellison/RedBird bid has been put to bed. Is there another bidder hanging around the hoop? And more importantly, has Shari Redstone lost her credibility?

Plus, below the fold: Lauren Sherman scoops a micro-drama surrounding LVMH’s wunderkind designer. Tara Palmeri spotlights Mar-a-Lago’s sudden Doug Burgum fixation. John Ourand digs into John Malone’s next F1 fantasy. On The Town, Matt and legendary host Jon Stewart discuss his split with Apple and return to The Daily Show. On Fashion People, Lauren and Fabiola Beracasa Beckman revel in Lagerfeld stories before debriefing her segue into filmmaking. And on The Powers That Be, Julia Ioffe joins Peter Hamby to scrutinize the Kremlin’s ’24 vote and the debates percolating through Foggy Bottom.

MATTHEW BELLONI

By putting Paramount up for sale, negotiating publicly for six months, and nuking a fully negotiated deal at the goal line, Shari has likely set the company on a downward spiral of chaos and uncertainty—one her father might have foreseen.

LAUREN SHERMAN

Why is Jonathan Anderson, the wunderkind behind Loewe’s resurgence, meeting with Fast Retailing? And what could really be next for LVMH’s most valuable talent?

TARA PALMERI

As the veepstakes beckon, Trump seems curiously taken by Doug Burgum—the ultra-conservative plains centimillionaire with the attractive wife and Pence-like deference. Is this his Cary Grant?

JOHN OURAND

The ageless mogul’s decision to take a controlling position in Formula E suggests that he’s looking to re-create the magic he found in its sister racing sport.