Unscripted

The Epic Battle for a Media Empire and the Redstone Family Legacy

By: James B Stewart, Rachel Abrams

Narrated by: Robert Petkoff

The instant New York Times bestseller • A New York Times Notable Book • Named a Best Book of the Year by The Economist • Nominated for the Financial Times and Schroders Business Book of the Year Award

"Addicted to Succession? Well, here's the real thing." - The Hollywood Reporter

“Jaw-dropping . . . an epic tale of toxic wealth and greed populated by connivers and manipulators.” —The New York Times Book Review, Editors’ Choice

The shocking inside story of the struggle for power and control at Paramount Global, the multibillion-dollar entertainment empire controlled by the Redstone family, and the dysfunction, misconduct, and deceit that threatened the future of the company, from the Pulitzer Prize–winning journalists who first broke the news

In 2016, the fate of Paramount Global’s entertainment empire hung precariously in the balance. Its founder and head, ninety-three-year-old Sumner M. Redstone, was facing a very public lawsuit brought by a former romantic companion, Manuela Herzer, which placed Sumner’s deteriorating health and questionable judgment under a harsh light.

As an all-powerful media mogul, Sumner had been a demanding boss, and an even more demanding father. When his daughter, Shari, took control of the business, she faced the hostility of boards who for years had heard Sumner disparage her. Les Moonves, the CEO of CBS, schemed with his allies on the board to strip Shari of power. But while he publicly battled Shari, news began to leak of Moonves’s involvement in multiple instances of sexual misconduct, and he began working behind the scenes to try to make the stories disappear.

Unscripted is an explosive and unvarnished look at the usually secret inner workings of two public companies, their boards of directors, and a wealthy, dysfunctional family in the throes of seismic changes. From the Pulitzer Prize– winning journalists James B. Stewart and Rachel Abrams, Unscripted lays bare the battle for power at any price—and the carnage that ensued.

Mogul Madness

What is it about the entertainment industry that causes its executives to behave like lecherous satyrs? That’s the question lurking behind the true stories of Sumner Redstone and Les Moonves of Paramount and CBS.

“Unscripted” is a fascinating listen about power and corruption in Hollywood. I was spellbound by the story and the underlying narcissism of its characters—not just the moguls, but some of the women who shamelessly manipulated and abused them.

The Sumner Redstone saga, which takes up most of the book, was the best. I couldn’t wait to get back to the story every time I took a break. Despite Redstone’s personal awfulness, I often found myself pitying him as his faculties failed and his hangers-on fought for a piece of his estate. Two of the women who moved in with him came across as heartless leeches. Even knowing how it all would end, I found all of this spellbinding.

The Moonves saga, saved for the end of the book, was a letdown. Moonves was a wildly successful and wealthy CBS executive, as well as a serial abuser. But he lacked the grotesque excesses of someone like Redstone (or Harvey Weinstein). He wasn’t an entrepreneur, and he didn’t build his own company. He wasn’t a news icon, like Matt Lauer or Charlie Rose. Moonves came across as a popular leader who had a secret problem he couldn’t control. His downfall, while welcome, seemed a little anticlimactic.

The book also focuses on the pathetic passivity of the business people who were supposed to exercise oversight of Redstone's companies. The Boards of Directors of his companies failed to question Redstone or Moonves's actions, preferring to let them do as they liked so long as the money rolled in.

Overall, I loved this book and I highly recommend it. The narration was excellent.

Lights! Camera! Lawsuits!

Fast paced, plot twists and plenty of betrayals. The characters in this the saga of power, sex and greed are right out of central casting. Reads like fiction but is a compelling account of the dark side of Hollywood.

James Lewis is a master chronicler

But what a sorry mess we have. The rich and powerful seem unfailingly corrupt. And this it has always been.

Unbelievably Awful Look at Society

It’s really sad that pretty much the whole world puts up with this kind of behavior, knowing that it happens and allowing it to happen because it produces good television, music, movies, and all other types of entertainment. We allow people to be treated like this and we don’t take a stand because it’s so far removed from our suburban homes. Or we think that we are just one person. Or we think that taking a stand for something won’t really matter in the big picture, but it really makes me sick to think about how much of this has gone on for a century in Hollywood. And I’m sure, it’s still happening. It’s sick on the male side and the female side. Taking advantage of people whether with power, money, beauty, manipulation… all for greed. This book was really well written. The investigation and subsequent articles and this book were well researched and put together.

Real life Succession!

Captivating and well reported story that sucks you in from the first minute. Couldn’t stop listening! The reporting and the writing is elegant without shying away from the often not so elegant anecdotes that, puzzled together, shine light on a weird and fascinating life of a man who built an empire yet was left vulnerable to elder abuse and manipulation by the people around him. It’s a must read!