Jeff Probst Says “Nothing Has Changed” on ‘Survivor’ After Paramount Rolled Back DEI Policies

Jeff Probst said “nothing has changed” on Survivor when it comes to the reality show’s approach to diversity, equity and inclusion, despite Paramount rolling back DEI policies when Donald Trump returned to the White House.

The long-running host and showrunner recently told The New York Times that it was “one of the biggest positive changes ever,” referring to when CBS launched a DEI initiative in 2020, post-Black Lives Matter, that required unscripted reality shows to have at least 50 percent of castmembers be people of color.

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“If you watch our show, you know that we’re so diverse — and it’s not just skin color or ethnicity. It goes much deeper than that,” the Emmy winner said. “It’s one of the biggest positive changes ever. Our stories are so much more interesting now because we have people from completely different walks of life.”

The Hollywood Reporter reported last year that Paramount was among companies across the entertainment industry stepping back on policies aimed at boosting diversity amid a larger crackdown on DEI programs driven by the Trump administration. David Ellison’s Skydance also committed to eliminating all DEI initiatives last year as it sought the FCC’s approval for Skydance’s merger with Paramount.

Probst added to the Times, “I feel no pressure. No one ever says, can you count the numbers again? But Jesse Tannenbaum, who runs our casting team, knows: There’s no stopping, not because we’re told to do it. This is what we need. We need diversity. It’s for narrative. All those differences matter in the story when you throw people together and force them to rely on each other while conspiring against each other. The more diverse, the more interesting.”

As Survivor returned for its 51st season last Wednesday, Probst previously told THR that he felt “enormous pressure” heading into the new season following the show’s milestone 50th season.

“We felt pressure before we shot 50,” the host said. “We were already feeling like, ‘What are we going to do after 50, even though we have not even produced 50?’ And I think that pressure was really good because it focused us on 50 and the minute 50 was over, everybody was thinking, ‘OK, what’s next?’ That’s really what led to this idea of the ‘Open Era’ — the pressure of needing something new to really birth us into the next decade.”

Survivor airs Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET/PT on CBS and streams live on Paramount+.