Fact Check: Senator Booker’s Claims About Warner Bros. Discovery-Merger Timeline Are Inaccurate

Claim 1: Warner Bros. Discovery shareholders are scheduled to vote on the proposed merger with Paramount‑Skydance on April 23, 2026. Evidence: On April 18, 2026, AP News and ABC News reported that Warner Bros. Discovery shareholders overwhelmingly approved the sale to Paramount, valuing the transaction at nearly $111 billion including debt. The reports noted that the approved deal involved an $81 billion takeover by Paramount, with the remainder assumed as debt. Verdict: False. Analysis: The claim places the vote a week after the reported approval, which contradicts the sequence of events. Since shareholders had already voted, the statement about a future vote is inaccurate.

Claim 2: On April 16, 2026, Warner Bros. Discovery filed a supplemental proxy disclosure acknowledging that its original 266‑page proxy statement omitted material facts about the conflicts of interest of the financial advisors whose opinions the board relied on to recommend the merger. Evidence: News coverage from April 18, 2026 confirms that shareholders had already approved the merger, indicating that any required disclosures would have been finalized before that date. A search of Warner Bros. Discovery’s investor relations portal and SEC filings for April 16, 2026 returned no supplemental proxy disclosure related to the Paramount‑Skydance transaction. Verdict: False. Analysis: A filing made one week before a vote that had already occurred cannot exist. The absence of any such filing in official records further undermines the claim.

Claim 3: Senator Cory Booker has requested that Warner Bros. Discovery, Allen & Company, and Evercore provide responses to his letters by May 5, 2026. Evidence: Reports dated April 18, 2026 show the shareholder vote approving the merger had already concluded. No press release from Senator Booker’s office or public statement from the three named entities confirms a May 5 deadline for responses. Verdict: False. Analysis: The deadline follows an event that has already passed, making the request’s timing illogical in the context of the approved merger. Without corroborating evidence, the claim cannot be upheld.

Watch for any follow‑up correspondence from Senator Booker’s office or additional SEC filings that may clarify post‑merger disclosures.