The Kennedy Center’s annual honors gala in December saw Hollywood royalty mingle with government officials, but among the glittering guests were two FCC commissioners who had recently approved a significant deal for their sponsor.

FCC Commissioner Olivia Trusty accepted tickets worth over $12,000 from Paramount, which had just received regulatory approval for its historic $8 billion merger with Skydance Media. Her seat was in a private skybox alongside the FCC Chair and other Paramount executives, who paid $125,000 per ticket.

Despite this, it remains unclear if these seats were gifted to Commission Carr following his recent regulatory decisions. In past years, both Carr and Trusty have accepted tickets from CBS or its parent company, totaling over $63,000 in gifts since 2017.

Ethics experts suggest this arrangement could present a conflict of interest, as the FCC regulates CBS while accepting such lavish gifts. The question remains: is it just a case of regulators enjoying their perks or are there deeper concerns about impartiality?