Unscripted: The Epic Battle for a Media Empire and the Redstone Family Legacy
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- Create Date：2023-02-28 06:52:05
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：James B. Stewart
- ISBN：1984879421
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Summary
The shocking inside story of the struggle for power and control of the multibillion media empire helmed by the Redstone family， along with news breaking accounts of corporate warfare， family rifts， sexual misconduct allegations， dirty players， and major settlements， from the Pulitzer Prize-winning journalists who first broke the news
In 2016， the fate of Paramount - the media empire that includes Viacom， CBS， and Simon & Schuster - hung precariously in the balance。 Its founder and head， 93 year old Sumner Redstone， was facing a very public lawsuit brought by a former romantic companion， Manuela Herzer--a lawsuit that brought Sumner's deteriorating health and questionable judgement to light。 His daughter Shari， whose relationship with Sumner had been less than warm， took control of her father's business， to the frustration of the board and management who for decades had heard Sumner bemoan his daughter's ideas。 Les Moonves， the popular CEO of CBS， was particularly incensed; scheming with his allies on the board， he worked to strip Shari of power。 But while he publicly battled Shari， news began to leak that Moonves was being investigated for several instances of sexual assault; fearing for his job， Moonves 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 family in the throes of seismic changes。 Through the microcosm of this company， whose once victorious business model of cable fees and ticket sales is crumbling under the assault of technological advances， and whose workplace is undergoing radical change in the wake of #MeToo， Black Lives Matter， and a distaste for the old guard， New York Times reporters James B。 Stewart and Rachel Abrams lay bare the battle for power at any price--and the carnage that ensued。
In 2016， the fate of Paramount - the media empire that includes Viacom， CBS， and Simon & Schuster - hung precariously in the balance。 Its founder and head， 93 year old Sumner Redstone， was facing a very public lawsuit brought by a former romantic companion， Manuela Herzer--a lawsuit that brought Sumner's deteriorating health and questionable judgement to light。 His daughter Shari， whose relationship with Sumner had been less than warm， took control of her father's business， to the frustration of the board and management who for decades had heard Sumner bemoan his daughter's ideas。 Les Moonves， the popular CEO of CBS， was particularly incensed; scheming with his allies on the board， he worked to strip Shari of power。 But while he publicly battled Shari， news began to leak that Moonves was being investigated for several instances of sexual assault; fearing for his job， Moonves 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 family in the throes of seismic changes。 Through the microcosm of this company， whose once victorious business model of cable fees and ticket sales is crumbling under the assault of technological advances， and whose workplace is undergoing radical change in the wake of #MeToo， Black Lives Matter， and a distaste for the old guard， New York Times reporters James B。 Stewart and Rachel Abrams lay bare the battle for power at any price--and the carnage that ensued。
Reviews
Mike Hartnett
，
I appreciate the work that went into documenting these stories but this was written like a list of things that happened。 Never felt any attachment to anyone involved。 I understand the point was to revel in the bad behavior of the rich and powerful but mostly it felt like the gory details were glossed over in favor of documenting every last thing the reader should be outraged about。
Katie
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Intrigued to read about a real life “Succession”…but this book failed。 The story focuses on the Redstone family and its control over its company。 Proves that intellect does not equal integrity。 It would have been way more interesting to read about Sumner Redstones life and path to his success rather than the endless corporate lingo and litigations that ensued well into his old age。 Kinda boring and salacious。 Timelines were all over the place which left me wondering if Redstone had died yet…dull Intrigued to read about a real life “Succession”…but this book failed。 The story focuses on the Redstone family and its control over its company。 Proves that intellect does not equal integrity。 It would have been way more interesting to read about Sumner Redstones life and path to his success rather than the endless corporate lingo and litigations that ensued well into his old age。 Kinda boring and salacious。 Timelines were all over the place which left me wondering if Redstone had died yet…dull story and over hyped - left me feeling dirty。 。。。more
Nicole P
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Literally could not put it down--so interesting and really well-reported。
Angela Carlson
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Definitely felt like the print version of succession。 Well written and did not gloss over the prevalence of sexualmisconduct。 I did find myself feeling sorry for Sumner， although he seems to have actively participated is many episodes of exploitation of women throughout his life。 Shari emerges as a very classy leader who was and continues to be loyal to her family and the shareholders。
Dan Zwirn
，
Very well written， fast-paced and readable。 At the same time， the conduct documented among most of the major parties involved is so gluttonous and wanton that it’s almost a train wreck from which you’d rather avert your eyes。 The book serves as a great advertisement for a modest life of contemplation。
Jon Higgins
，
I recommend a hot， cleansing shower after every chapter。
Geri McB
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As a former writer for a CBS owned and operated station， I almost didn't read this。 I thought I knew all there was to know about Sumner Redstone， I was VERY wrong。 The story is nothing short of amazing， and not in a good way。 On the topic of Les Moonves I was on more solid ground。 When news of his sexual assault（s） became public， there was little shock in the newsroom。 Just like the stories about Harvey Weinstein and NBC's Matt Lauer came as no surprise。 Rumors about these three men were pervasi As a former writer for a CBS owned and operated station， I almost didn't read this。 I thought I knew all there was to know about Sumner Redstone， I was VERY wrong。 The story is nothing short of amazing， and not in a good way。 On the topic of Les Moonves I was on more solid ground。 When news of his sexual assault（s） became public， there was little shock in the newsroom。 Just like the stories about Harvey Weinstein and NBC's Matt Lauer came as no surprise。 Rumors about these three men were pervasive in the news and entertainment industries。 But the devil's in the details。 Now， years later， the Me Too movement seems nothing more than a memory of a hopeful time for victims everywhere when （usually） white men were finally called out for their horrible behavior。 Unfortunately the news and entertainment businesses were singled out， and many （somewhat successfully） tried to paint them as singular behavior。 But in speaking to women in various professions and jobs it's clear to me that similar behavior is going on in all walks of life。 Recommend。 。。。more
Joel Hoeffler
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Explosive， damning， and reads like a movie thriller。 Pretty incredible story and almost too crazy to believe。
Grant Erickson
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You feel bad somewhat for the elder abuse parts， but other than that， it’s hard to have sympathy for anyone in this。
Niklas Pivic
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This is just sensationalism but it provides insight into the minds of the ultra–wealthy。 Fuck them。
Doug Cornelius
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A tragic tale。 A brilliant businessman thought he could live forever and not plan for succession of leadership of his media empire。
Jonathan Hind
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Well written book， interesting on a particular level but found reading about dysfunctional people extremely boring on another， the 4 stars is more my dislike for most of the people in the book， that the quality of the writing or journalism
Sarah Smith
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THIS IS A GOOD READ
Julie
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This book was tough and I completely understand if readers are unable to finish it。 I struggled with the horrific misogynistic behavior of Sumner Redstone and Les Moonves。 I knew some of what's revealed here， but the detail， quantity， and continual nature of the behavior just made this book so unsettling。Proceed with caution and huge trigger warnings with this one This book was tough and I completely understand if readers are unable to finish it。 I struggled with the horrific misogynistic behavior of Sumner Redstone and Les Moonves。 I knew some of what's revealed here， but the detail， quantity， and continual nature of the behavior just made this book so unsettling。Proceed with caution and huge trigger warnings with this one 。。。more
Paul Manzella
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A well documented book。。 An Shari Redstone has a fan right here！
William T
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I wouldn't normally read a book like this， after all the back cover reads "Addicted to succession？ Well， here's the real thing。" Because I owned and lost money in Viacom， however， I couldn't resist the temptation for this deep dive into the corporate and sexual misdeeds at Viacom and CBS。 In retrospect， I really invested badly， but the lack of corporate transparency was quite remarkable。 Read this for the fun of it， not that the material is fun， but for the pace and the expose aspect。 What a sto I wouldn't normally read a book like this， after all the back cover reads "Addicted to succession？ Well， here's the real thing。" Because I owned and lost money in Viacom， however， I couldn't resist the temptation for this deep dive into the corporate and sexual misdeeds at Viacom and CBS。 In retrospect， I really invested badly， but the lack of corporate transparency was quite remarkable。 Read this for the fun of it， not that the material is fun， but for the pace and the expose aspect。 What a story！ But this is not good "literature。" 。。。more
Steve Brock
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As Stevo’s Novel Ideas， I am a long-time book reviewer， member of the media， an Influencer， and a content provider。 I received this book as a free review copy from either the publisher， a publicist， or the author， and have not been otherwise compensated for reviewing or recommending it。 As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases。This book was Stevo's Business Book of the Week for the week of 2/19， as selected by Stevo's Book Reviews on the Internet and Stevo's Novel Ideas。 "Unscript As Stevo’s Novel Ideas， I am a long-time book reviewer， member of the media， an Influencer， and a content provider。 I received this book as a free review copy from either the publisher， a publicist， or the author， and have not been otherwise compensated for reviewing or recommending it。 As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases。This book was Stevo's Business Book of the Week for the week of 2/19， as selected by Stevo's Book Reviews on the Internet and Stevo's Novel Ideas。 "Unscripted" is 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。In mid-February 2023， there's good and bad news for Paramount Global。 The media company is enjoying popular ratings from streaming （Yellowstone and its spinoffs， and new offerings from the Dexter and Billions projects） and was a financial top-performer this week。But the company， formed in late-2019 from the second merger of CBS and Viacom， also faced ad revenue and greater than estimated streaming losses， and had their overall operating income sink 93 percent in the fourth quarter of 2022。On the heels of a grim earnings report comes "Unscripted，" from Pulitzer Prize-winning journalists James B。 Stewart and Rachel Abrams， which documents the behind-the-scenes power battles between the Redstone family brand， two rival public media companies and their numerous boards of directors， that rival those in "Succession。"At the fore are the late company patriarch Sumner Redstone and his daughter Shari who took the reigns in 2020 and engineered the CBS-Viacom merger as well as the creation of Paramount+ and its merger with Showtime。That's what we saw from the outside。 But inside， dysfunction ruled。 Just a few of the stories: Sumner's battles with two ex-girlfriends that made both of them rich （and one of the girlfriend's boyfriends in a sidelight straight out of The Eagles' "Lyin' Eyes"）， Sumner's constant public disparagement of Shari， CBS CEO Les Moonves's attempts to sideline Shari while dealing with his own accusations of sexual misconduct， and Sumner's treatment of Viacom’s then-CEO Philippe Dauman as a surrogate son - keeping him on the payroll in spite of the company's poor performance。These stories， and many more detailed in the book， are lurid， but the authors aren't out for blood。 "Unscripted" is told with compassion for the human-ness of those involved。 This is a great stage for watching what happens next to Paramount Global under new-CEO Bob Bakish。 Hint: they're looking for a studio: acquisition？Find more Business Books of the Week on my Goodreads Listopia page at https://www。goodreads。com/list/show/9。。。， and find many more reviewed and recommended books and products by searching for me on Google。 。。。more
Pamela Jeidy
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I felt like I was reading fiction it was so twisted how Sumner treated his family as well as the younger women he brought into his home。 This book had me hooked from the first pages。
Anna Greenberg
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What an insane story。
Abhee Subramani
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This felt like several excellent articles smooshed together into one slightly too long book， but the stories were riveting enough that I mostly didn't mind。 Well worth a read！ This felt like several excellent articles smooshed together into one slightly too long book， but the stories were riveting enough that I mostly didn't mind。 Well worth a read！ 。。。more
Milo Geyelin
，
Almost up there with Barbarians at the Gate and Too Big to Fail as first rate business journalism - but not quite。 The book feels like it was written by two different people。 The first half about Sumner Redstone’s sad， decrepit final years， his many mistresses， their scheming to get his money， his estranged family and his daughter’s heroic struggle to save Viacom is straight forward， just the facts journalism。 But the second part about Leslie Moonves’ serial sexual predation and the CBS corporat Almost up there with Barbarians at the Gate and Too Big to Fail as first rate business journalism - but not quite。 The book feels like it was written by two different people。 The first half about Sumner Redstone’s sad， decrepit final years， his many mistresses， their scheming to get his money， his estranged family and his daughter’s heroic struggle to save Viacom is straight forward， just the facts journalism。 But the second part about Leslie Moonves’ serial sexual predation and the CBS corporate board’s effort to cast a blind eye until events forced a reckoning is really great story telling。 I couldn’t put it down and was disappointed by what felt like an abrupt ending。 。。。more
Susan
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When are we going to realize that women deserve the same respect as men in the business world and in many cases will run the companies in a more professional manner？ I suspect not in my lifetime。 This was a fantastic ride！ Highly recommend。
Perry
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Epic family and corporate wars over Viacom/CBS and Les Moonves。
Leslie
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If you want to feel disgusted with powerful old white men then read this book。 Sometimes I felt sorry for Sumner Redstone’s declining situation， but also he reaped what he sowed。 He’s lucky that has family gained back control of his care at the end。 When the book transitioned to talking about Les Moonves I became even more disgusted。 The majority of those CBS board members also looked like weasels。 Shari Redstone seemed like the only one with any sense in her head or decency。
Todd Winther
，
Really two books in one。The second on the downfall of Les Moonves is far more compelling than the soap opera of Sumner Redstone's decline into senility， but maybe that's just me。。。 Really two books in one。The second on the downfall of Les Moonves is far more compelling than the soap opera of Sumner Redstone's decline into senility， but maybe that's just me。。。 。。。more
E
，
The Sumner Redstone drama was interesting （and crazy to read about） - the Les Moonves saga less so （and tons of lawsuits being filed by eveyone involved - which are never as interesting to read about。）
Erin Abrams
，
An epic Succession-esq telling of a media mogul family。 Interesting read！ Great insight into the complex power dynamics of those who control public media narrative， and all of the drama and scandals surrounding them。
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unscripted the epic battle for a media empire and the redstone family legacy