As a seasoned cinema-goer who has witnessed countless dramas unfold on both the big and small screens, I can’t help but draw parallels between real-life narratives and the ones we see in movies. The recent turn of events surrounding George Stephanopoulos and his sudden disappearance from Twitter feels like a plot twist straight out of a political thriller.

ABC News host George Stephanopoulos chose to shut down his account on the platform previously known as Twitter, which boasted over 2.3 million followers.

George Stephanopoulos’ Twitter account linked to Elon Musk’s company X (@GStephanopoulos) can no longer be found, showing an error message indicating “The account does not exist.” However, his Instagram account continues to be operational.

Over the weekend, George Stephanopoulos’ program on ABC News temporarily stopped broadcasting following the settlement of a defamation lawsuit brought by Donald Trump against both the network and Stephanopoulos. The dispute stemmed from an incorrect statement made by Stephanopoulos in a March 2024 interview on “This Week” where he claimed that “Donald Trump had been found liable for rape by a jury.” In reality, the jury had determined that Trump had sexually abused writer E. Jean Carroll during the 1990s.

Reps for Stephanopoulos and ABC News did not respond to a request for comment.

According to a recently disclosed agreement between Trump and ABC News (which is owned by Disney), ABC will pay $16 million. Specifically, they will contribute $15 million to a foundation and museum founded by Trump, and an additional $1 million to cover Trump’s legal fees as stipulated in the settlement.

In this settlement agreement, both parties aim to resolve their dispute amicably, without proceeding to court. To achieve this, they have decided to compromise, settle, and release any disputes related to the Interview or the Case itself, in order to spare themselves further costs, hassle, and diversion from other matters.

In addition to the agreement, ABC News added a correction note at the end of their online article about the interview that led to the lawsuit. The note reads: “Editor’s Correction: ABC News and George Stephanopoulos express regret for certain statements concerning President Donald J. Trump made during an interview by George Stephanopoulos with Representative Nancy Mace on ABC’s This Week, broadcasted on March 10, 2024.

In the Carroll case, a jury mandated that Donald Trump should compensate her for a sum of approximately $83.3 million, as reported by The New York Times. However, Trump has chosen to challenge this decision through an appeal process.

George Stephanopoulos, who began working at ABC News in 1997, currently shares hosting duties on “Good Morning America” and anchors the Sunday program “This Week with George Stephanopoulos.” Additionally, he established George Stephanopoulos Productions (GSP), a production unit under ABC News that bears his name.

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2024-12-16 22:46