Jeff Probst Says ‘Survivor’ Needs Diversity Despite Paramount’s DEI Rollbacks: ‘All Those Differences Matter in the Story’

Fifty seasons later, one key factor of “Survivor” remains the same: the show’s approach to diversity.

Longtime host Jeff Probst told The New York Times that “nothing has changed” in the reality competition series’ approach, despite Paramount’s rollback of DEI initiatives to align with Trump’s mandates in 2025.

Diversity, he explained, is integral to the show’s functionality. “And 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. It’s one of the biggest positive changes ever,” Probst said. “Our stories are so much more interesting now because we have people from completely different walks of life.”

He continued: “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.”

While the show’s DEI initiatives have stayed the same, Probst explained how casting has changed since the show began in 2000.

“In the early seasons, the approach to casting and storytelling was different from the kind of storytelling we’re doing now,” Probst said. “You would cast for type. And friction was part of where we were at — we wanted friction in our storytelling, arguments and finger-pointing.”

Probst became more than just the host when he signed on as showrunner of the 51-season show in 2010, with the goal of making the series more cinematic.

“I always saw the game as a device. So when I was given the reins, the three things I really wanted to do were make it more cinematic; I wanted it to dive deep into Joseph Campbell’s “Hero’s Journey”; and I wanted it to be a family show. I knew that would change who we put on the show and the types of stories that we told.”