The instant New York Times bestseller!
"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--the multibillion-dollar
entertainment empire that includes Paramount, CBS, MTV, Nickelodeon,
Showtime, and Simon & Schuster--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--a lawsuit that placed Sumner's deteriorating health and
questionable judgment under a harsh light.
As one of the last in a long line of all-powerful media moguls, Sumner
had been a relentlessly demanding boss, and an even more demanding
father. When his daughter, Shari, took control of her father's business,
she faced the hostility of boards and management who for years had heard
Sumner disparage her. Les Moonves, the popular CEO of CBS, felt
particularly threatened and schemed with his allies on the board to
strip Shari of power. But while he publicly battled Shari, news began to
leak that Moonves had been involved 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.
Through the microcosm of Paramount, 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, Stewart and Abrams lay bare the battle for power at any
price--and the carnage that ensued.
