Simon & Schuster’s Private-Equity Marriage Looks Good on Paper, but Will the Honeymoon Last?

Trump’s Debate Calculation • Tucker’s Big $$ Talks • THR Columnist’s Threat? [View in your browser]( | [Update your preferences](newsletter=vf) [Vanity Fair Hive logo image]( Simon & Schuster’s Private-Equity Marriage Looks Good on Paper, but Will the Honeymoon Last? Good morning from the Hive newsroom! Joe Pompeo [examines]( Simon & Schuster’s billion-dollar sale to private-equity company KKR, from the mood inside S&S (surprisingly hopeful), to the industry’s read on KKR’s investment habits (They’re “not the devil,” one publishing insider said). But while that all paints a rosy picture, Pompeo writes that this happy marriage is always just one bean count away from the cost cutting measures the industry has become all too familiar with. In politics, Gabriel Sherman [gets a read]( on Donald Trump’s thoughts on the soon-to-be-held GOP debate. His rising legal woes may propel him to join his GOP primary competitors on stage, Sherman reports. Meanwhile, Molly Jong-Fast [opines]( on the Republican Party’s allegiance to Trump over democracy. Thanks for reading. [Marquee at the main entrance to the Simon & Schuster Headquarters building in Manhattan. ]( [Simon & Schuster’s Private-Equity Marriage Looks Good on Paper, but Will the Honeymoon Last?]( By [Joe Pompeo]( [CEO Jonathan Karp is touting the “commitment to growth” promised by storied investment firm KKR, which has inked a $1.6 billion deal to buy S&S from Paramount Global. But cost cutting fears are always just a bean count away: “How much leaner can they get? We’re about to find out.”]( [Read more button](   [Donald Trump’s Legal Peril May Propel Him Into the GOP Debate: “He Wants to Be Center Stage”]( By [Gabriel Sherman]( [The thrice-indicted former president and 2024 front-runner has considered skipping this month’s debate, but some Republican consultants see mounting indictments and high-stakes drama as motivation for him to jet to Milwaukee.]( [Read more button](   [The GOP Picks Donald Trump Over Democracy]( By [Molly Jong-Fast]( [Brushing off election charges and attacking the justice system are the real indictments of today’s Republican Party.]( [Read more button](   [Hollywood Media Is Abuzz With a Star Columnist’s Request for Priority Access]( By [Charlotte Klein]( [As the entertainment media industry gets turned upside down amid the dual writers and actors strikes, a Hollywood Reporter writer’s request for seemingly preferential treatment becomes the email heard around Hollywood.]( [Read more button](   [Tucker Carlson’s Media Venture May Be Coming Into Some Major Peter Thiel Cash: Report]( By [Caleb Ecarma]( [Rebekah Mercer, the billionaire mega-donor once described as “the most powerful woman in GOP politics,” has also reportedly expressed interest.]( [Read more button](   Get on the list Subscribe to our Hollywood newsletter for your essential industry and awards-season news, every day. [Sign Up Now](   [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Instagram]( [LinkedIn](   This e-mail was sent to you by The Hive. To ensure delivery to your inbox (not bulk or junk folders), please add our e-mail address, vanityfair@newsletter.vf.com, to your address book. View our [Privacy Policy]( [Unsubscribe](newsletter=vf) Sent from Condé Nast, 1 World Trade Center, New York, NY 10007 Copyright © 2023 Condé Nast