CBS and its parent company, Paramount Global, are under fire following an allegation of “blatant” discrimination against a White male freelance writer after the network imposed strict diversity rules for writers on its “SEAL Team” series.
The New York Post reported that the script coordinator and freelance scriptwriter for CBS’ “SEAL Team,” Brian Beneker, was denied a staff writer position because of his race, gender and romantic attraction.
Beneker’s attorneys argue that CBS’ diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives have forced White males to obtain “extra” qualifications if they wish to be hired as staff writers on the network’s “SEAL Team” show, compared to individuals who aren’t White, male and are members of the LGBT community.
Beneker is being represented in the matter by America First Legal (AFL), which is a conservative nonprofit founded by the former White House aide to then-President Donald Trump, Stephen Miller.
On X, formerly known as Twitter, AFL wrote, “We just sued CBS in federal court for allegedly engaging in blatant anti-White discrimination in violation of federal law. America First Legal will fight to hold the entertainment giant accountable for its lawless and bigoted conduct.”
/1🚨HISTORIC LAWSUIT — We just sued CBS in federal court for allegedly engaging in blatant anti-white discrimination in violation of federal law.
America First Legal will fight to hold the entertainment giant accountable for its lawless and bigoted conduct.
Read on 🧵
— America First Legal (@America1stLegal) February 29, 2024
Beneker, who became the script coordinator for CBS’ “SEAL Team” in 2017 on the show’s first episode, which revolved around the drama a group of Navy SEALs faced, was eventually offered to write an episode script as a freelancer for the show’s second season.
To continue his work as a scriptwriter, Beneker was told he had to quit his job as a coordinator, according to the lawsuit, which states that he was replaced by “a woman without any experience as a script coordinator” who “struggled to do the job” and “quit approximately two weeks into training.”
Beneker’s lawyers cited a widely known mandate from CBS CEO George Cheeks to “set a goal that all writers’ rooms on the network’s primetime series be staffed 40% [with] BIPOC [black, indigenous and people of color] in the 2021-2022 season.”
The lawsuit against CBS and Paramount Global comes as conservatives across America denounce the left’s DEI policies. The document alleges Beneker was overlooked in favor of less qualified candidates who checked diversity boxes.
