Entertainment giant CBS has been sued by the legal team representing Brian Beneker. The lawsuit alleges that Beneker, a script coordinator and freelance scriptwriter, was denied a staff writer position on the “Seal Team” TV series due to being a straight, white male.
Beneker was initially hired by CBS to coordinate the script for the 2017 pilot episode of the series. But when he wanted to do more work as a freelance scriptwriter, Beneker was told he had to quit his current role instead of performing both roles.
He did so, and the script coordinator role was then filled by a woman who struggled to do the job. She quit after approximately two weeks.
Beneker then pursued staff writing jobs with CBS from 2019 to 2024, but was reportedly turned down each time.
The lawsuit alleges that the people who were hired instead of Beneker were, “a black male who had no previous writing credits and little substantial experience, a black woman with no major writing credits, a female writer’s assistant with no prior writing credits,” and “two female writer’s assistants, without any writing credits, (one a Black woman, one a lesbian).”
This hiring practice is directly in line with a push by CBS chief executive George Cheeks, to increase diversity-quota hires and fill writer roles with people who tick all the boxes.
As a result of his workplace situation, Beneker enlisted the help of America First Legal, a nonprofit organization founded by former Trump White House Policy Aide Stephen Miller. The firm made a clear and unequivocal statement voicing their support for Beneker.
/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
Brian Beneker’s legal battle with CBS and its parent company Paramount, serves as a visible example of the problem that arises when companies try to hire employees based on secondary characteristics, rather than their qualifications for a role. But the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) agenda goes much deeper than that.
America First Legal’s actions in defending Brian Beneker, is just one instance of pushback against the DEI movement that swept across the country in 2020. The movement was sparked in the wake of George Floyd’s death at the hands of Minneapolis police officers.
As for Beneker, he’s seeking $500,000 in lost wages, and an injunction against CBS to offer him a full-time job as a producer.
