A Hollywood Giant Eyes the Exit Door

Smartphone showing Paramount+ app on blue screen — Photo: JOCA_PH / Shutterstock

Paramount’s board reportedly approved a plan to pull out of Hollywood, and California gubernatorial candidate Steve Hilton says Democrat policies are to blame.

Quick Take

Paramount’s board approved a contingency plan to move headquarters out of Hollywood as early as this fall, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass’s office and Attorney General Rob Bonta’s office were reportedly warned an exit announcement could be coming.
Steve Hilton blamed “Democrat policies” for killing California’s business climate and driving the studio away.
Reports name Nashville, Texas, and Georgia as possible new homes for the 114-year-old studio.
No official Paramount announcement has gone out, and the company has repeatedly declined to comment.

Studio Weighs Leaving Its Hollywood Home

Paramount’s board approved David Ellison’s contingency plan to move the company’s headquarters out of Hollywood as soon as this fall, the Los Angeles Times reported on September 14, citing people familiar with the matter. TMZ followed two days later, reporting the studio was “about to leave California” and that an announcement felt imminent to insiders close to the situation.

City and state officials were reportedly given a heads-up before any public statement went out. TMZ reported that Mayor Bass’s office and Attorney General Bonta’s office were told Paramount planned to announce its departure from California. Bonta’s office told Variety, “We cannot comment on a company’s plans,” a carefully worded non-denial that did little to calm nerves in Sacramento or Los Angeles.

Texas, Georgia, and Nashville in the Running

Fox Business reported on September 17 that Paramount Skydance officials had already been spotted scouting commercial real estate in Nashville, checking out more than 400,000 square feet of potential office space. Texas and Georgia are also reportedly on the table, states that have long courted film production with friendlier tax treatment and fewer regulatory headaches than California offers.

Patch reported the studio was “deadly serious” about the move, tying the threat to its ongoing legal fight with California over its merger with Warner Bros. Discovery. Variety noted Bonta’s office admitted “it’s no secret” Paramount had been making this threat, despite the company’s supposed commitment to Hollywood.

Hilton Blames Democrat Policies for the Exodus

Steve Hilton didn’t hold back. He told Newsmax that “Democrat policies are killing California,” directly linking the Paramount threat to years of one-party rule in Sacramento. Hilton claimed 51,000 film jobs have vanished in just three years, with stuntmen, coordinators, and crews already packing for Texas and Atlanta while California politicians look the other way.

Hilton called the situation “a crime,” arguing that lawmakers let a signature California industry wither under high costs and heavy-handed regulation. His frustration echoes a broader complaint conservatives have made for years: that California’s tax burden and red tape push job creators toward states that actually want their business.

State’s Own Incentives Suggest Officials Know the Problem Is Real

California Governor Gavin Newsom signed the state’s first standalone post-production tax credit on September 19, offering a 35% to 50% credit on qualified expenses. The existing film program already requires 75% of a production’s budget or filming days to happen in California. Critics see the timing as an admission that the state’s business climate needs rescuing.

The California Film Commission had already awarded Paramount Television Studios and CBS Studios roughly $37.3 million for two projects in August, part of a broader $145.5 million incentive round, according to California Globe. That’s a striking move for a state simultaneously suing the same company over its merger.

No Final Decision Yet, But Stakes Are High

Paramount has not issued any official statement confirming a move, and the company has repeatedly declined to comment when asked. A later report said the widely expected departure announcement never materialized, leaving officials guessing whether Ellison changed course or simply delayed the decision.

A leaked Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation analysis estimated a full Paramount relocation could permanently wipe out between 28,990 and 57,980 jobs statewide. Whatever happens next, the fact that officials are bracing for this kind of loss says plenty about how fragile California’s grip on Hollywood has become.

California gubernatorial candidate Steve Hilton tears into officials driving Paramount out of LA: 'It's a crime' https://t.co/OsaqjmtGTz pic.twitter.com/oYi1IDW1g3

— New York Post (@nypost) September 21, 2026

Mayor Bass’s office says it’s focused on “protecting and fighting for jobs in L.A.,” but conservatives argue that focus should have started years ago, before California taxed and regulated one of its signature industries toward the exits. Hilton’s campaign is betting voters agree.