
Unscripted
The Epic Battle for a Media Empire and the Redstone Family Legacy
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Narrated by:
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Robert Petkoff
About this listen
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.
©2023 James B. Stewart, Rachel Abrams (P)2023 Penguin AudioListeners also enjoyed...
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Critic reviews
"Redstone has found his Ishmael in James B. Stewart, who has ventured once more into the corporate depths and returned, he writes, with ‘an astonishing saga of sex, lies, and betrayal.’ His new book, Unscripted: The Epic Battle for a Media Empire and the Redstone Family Legacy, written with New York Times media reporter Rachel Abrams, joins his earlier probing work on the Walt Disney Co., insider trading, corporate lawyers and the posh netherworld of American business. Imagine a mash-up of King Lear and Weekend at Bernie’s, the 1989 movie comedy about two scamps who prop up a cadaver so they can enjoy a weekend at his beach house, with Redstone starring in both title roles.”—The Wall Street Journal
“In this riveting, Succesion-esque tale of the fight for control of Paramount Global, James B. Stewart and Rachel Abrams weave together a lawsuit, familial conflict, and the lurking Les Moonves.”—Vanity Fair
“Has a business book ever made you blush? . . . There’s the 90-something billionaire with still-active ‘sexual appetites’; the scheming mistresses; threesomes; parked-car encounters; a Sedona love nest; a chief executive who allegedly forced himself on multiple victims; a stolen laptop; shady private investigators; and a cast of characters straight off MTV or another Redstone cable channel. Mixing tight financial reporting with soap-operatic twists and turns, Unscripted makes the amped-up historical fiction of Babylon feel downright chaste by comparison . . . Media insiders and those who followed the Redstone saga will eat this reporting—and some of the other, more comical twists that populate the book—up . . . Unscripted delivers the good.”—The Washington Post
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Story
When the head of Columbia Pictures, David Begelman, got caught forging Cliff Robertson's name on a $10,000 check, it seemed, at first, like a simple case of embezzlement. It wasn't. The incident was the tip of the iceberg, the first hint of a scandal that shook Hollywood and rattled Wall Street.
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Wow. What a bore.
- By beastmaster on 08-27-22
By: David McClintick, and others
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Power Failure
- The Rise and Fall of an American Icon
- By: William D. Cohan
- Narrated by: Eric Jason Martin
- Length: 28 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
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No company embodied American ingenuity, innovation, and industrial power more spectacularly and more consistently than the General Electric Company. GE once developed and manufactured many of the inventions we take for granted today, nearly everything from the lightbulb to the jet engine. GE also built a cult of financial and leadership success envied across the globe and became the world’s most valuable and most admired company. But even at the height of its prestige and influence, cracks were forming in its formidable foundation.
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Much better than other GE books
- By Brannon Crawford on 12-26-22
By: William D. Cohan
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The King of Content
- Sumner Redstone’s Battle for Viacom, CBS, and Everlasting Control of His Media Empire
- By: Keach Hagey
- Narrated by: Gabra Zackman
- Length: 10 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
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Sumner Murray Redstone, once feared as the “mad genius” of media who would dump his CEOs for mere wobbles in his companies’ stock price, had built one of the world’s greatest media empires through a series of audacious takeovers constructed to ensure that he always maintained control. Today he controls 80 percent of the voting shares of both Viacom and CBS, meaning that on a whim he could replace the entire boards of two public companies with a combined value of $40 billion.
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Feels biased. Well researched, but not engaging.
- By Anonymous User on 04-03-19
By: Keach Hagey
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Conspiracy of Fools
- A True Story
- By: Kurt Eichenwald
- Narrated by: Robertson Dean
- Length: 30 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
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Say the name 'Enron' and most people believe they've heard all about the story that imperiled a presidency, destroyed a marketplace, and changed Washington and Wall Street forever. But in the hands of Kurt Eichenwald, the players we think we know and the business practices we think have been exposed are transformed into entirely new, and entirely gripping, material.
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Great Story
- By Adam M Pokorski on 06-06-06
By: Kurt Eichenwald
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Billionaires' Row
- Tycoons, High Rollers, and the Epic Race to Build the World's Most Exclusive Skyscrapers
- By: Katherine Clarke
- Narrated by: Kristen DiMercurio
- Length: 12 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
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To look south and skyward from Central Park these days is to gaze upon a physical manifestation of tens of billions of dollars in global wealth: a series of soaring spires stretching from Park Avenue to Broadway. Known as Billionaires’ Row, this set of slender high-rise residences has transformed the skyline of New York City, thanks to developer-friendly policies and a seemingly endless gush of cash from tech, finance, and foreign oligarchs. And chances are most of us will never be invited to step inside.
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Fantastic read/listen
- By Anonymous User on 03-15-25
By: Katherine Clarke
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Tinderbox
- HBO's Ruthless Pursuit of New Frontiers
- By: James Andrew Miller
- Narrated by: James Andrew Miller, Amy McFadden, Robert Petkoff
- Length: 43 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
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The exclusive story of HBO’s key creators, executives, actors, and directors gives listeners an unprecedented peek behind the curtain at the founding and triumph of the first “pay-channel” that brought America The Sopranos, Sex and the City, The Wire, Succession, and countless groundbreaking, culture-shifting shows. James Andrew Miller collects insider accounts of the humble beginnings, devastating missteps, controversial business decisions, and, of course, backstage drama and celebrity gossip from the set.
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Great info marred by unedited mispronunciations
- By TJF on 04-25-22
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Selling the Dream
- The Billion-Dollar Industry Bankrupting Americans
- By: Jane Marie
- Narrated by: Jane Marie
- Length: 6 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
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Peabody and Emmy Award–winning journalist Jane Marie expands on her popular podcast The Dream to expose the scourge of multilevel marketing schemes and how they have profited off the evisceration of the American working class.
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Surprisingly Fun
- By Flamingo Girl #3 on 03-14-25
By: Jane Marie
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The Spider Network
- The Wild Story of a Math Genius, a Gang of Backstabbing Bankers, and One of the Greatest Scams in Financial History
- By: David Enrich
- Narrated by: Mike Chamberlain
- Length: 15 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
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In 2006, an oddball group of bankers, traders and brokers from some of the world's largest financial institutions made a startling realization: Libor - the London interbank offered rate, which determines the interest rates on trillions in loans worldwide - was set daily by a small group of easily manipulated functionaries, and that they could reap huge profits by nudging it to suit their trading portfolios.
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Does anyone "proofread" the audio book?
- By Gracie on 07-04-18
By: David Enrich
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The Key Man
- The True Story of How the Global Elite Was Duped by a Capitalist Fairy Tale
- By: Simon Clark, Will Louch
- Narrated by: Peter Noble
- Length: 11 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
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Arif Naqvi was charismatic, inspiring, and self-made—all the qualities of a successful business leader. The founder of Abraaj, a Dubai-based private-equity firm, Naqvi was the Key Man to the global elite searching for impact investments to make money and do good. In 2018, Simon Clark and Will Louch were contacted by an anonymous whistleblower who said Naqvi had swindled investors out of hundreds of millions of dollars and offered bribes to sustain his billionaire lifestyle. In April 2019—months after their exposé broke—Naqvi was arrested on charges of fraud and racketeering.
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A great take on one of the greatest swindleds
- By Amer on 05-05-23
By: Simon Clark, and others
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Deadly Pretender
- The Double Life of David Miller
- By: Karen Kingsbury
- Narrated by: Kate Zane
- Length: 11 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
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David Miller had a dream job and a beautiful family. But one perfect life wasn't enough. So he pretended to be an attorney, then a CIA agent. And he secretly married another woman. He juggled it all quite well—until the day his two wives found out about each other. Miller groped for ways to hold on to his finances and reputation. But when he tried using a gun to silence his second wife, his carefully constructed façade of power and wealth exploded.
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Exciting
- By Jennifer Chumley on 11-04-23
By: Karen Kingsbury
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Barbarians at the Gate
- The Fall of RJR Nabisco
- By: Bryan Burrough, John Helyar
- Narrated by: Eric Jason Martin
- Length: 22 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
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A number-one New York Times best seller and arguably the best business narrative ever written, Barbarians at the Gate is the classic account of the fall of RJR Nabisco. An enduring masterpiece of investigative journalism by Bryan Burrough and John Helyar, it includes a new afterword by the authors that brings this remarkable story of greed and double-dealings up to date 20 years after the famed deal.
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Good book but too dense
- By Andrew M. on 08-01-21
By: Bryan Burrough, and others
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All the Devils Are Here
- The Hidden History of the Financial Crisis
- By: Bethany McLean, Joe Nocera
- Narrated by: Dennis Boutsikaris
- Length: 15 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
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As soon as the financial crisis erupted, the finger-pointing began. Should the blame fall on Wall Street, Main Street, or Pennsylvania Avenue? On greedy traders, misguided regulators, sleazy subprime companies, cowardly legislators, or clueless home buyers? According to Bethany McLean and Joe Nocera, two of America's most acclaimed business journalists, the real answer is all of the above-and more. Many devils helped bring hell to the economy.
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Excellent!
- By Euri on 11-19-10
By: Bethany McLean, and others
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The Wizard of Lies
- Bernie Madoff and the Death of Trust
- By: Diana B. Henriques
- Narrated by: Pam Ward
- Length: 16 hrs
- Unabridged
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Who is Bernie Madoff, and how did he pull off the biggest Ponzi scheme in history? These questions have fascinated people ever since the news broke about the respected New York financier who swindled his friends, relatives, and other investors out of $65 billion. Many have speculated about what must have happened, but no reporter has been able to get the full story - until now. Diana B. Henriques of the New York Times has written the definitive book on the man and his scheme.
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The best of 3 madoff books
- By Angela willis on 03-18-13
What listeners say about Unscripted
Highly rated for:
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- Meg
- 05-04-23
People I’d Rather Not Know
This was a waste of a credit. The book is as dry as a California desert. The people are insane and not worth knowing. The USA at its worst. A truly disgusting story.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Charles
- 02-26-23
Tremendous detail, but still good
The painstaking research and detail sometimes is too much for general interest. However, this maintains a good pace. Near the end of the book is a well done discussion of an executive’s decades of sexual-harassment.
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- Judy in Salt Lake
- 03-25-23
Real life is stranger than fiction
Sort of a 'Succession' story, but about the real life excesses and insanity of a media mogul. There are some slow parts but taken as a whole, the story is just unbelievable though true. The parallel story of Sumner Redstone's long suffering daughter, who eventually succeeds her dad, is engrossing as well. She is as unbelievably patient and rock-ribbed as her dad is as devious and deceived. The narration is a little plodding, but the story is great.
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- James Bond
- 06-04-23
Great story well done
Professional work, as it’s Murray parts, but the authors restrained themselves from sharing too many facts just a really well written recount of what happened
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- PaulHutch
- 06-15-23
Better than I thought
I bought this in a whim with fairly low expectation. It was a great book and the narrator was awesome. Really kept my attention. The book has a lot of insider gossipy type stuff but also tells an amazing story of CBS/Viacom and the Redstone empire. Really interesting audiobook.
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- Lois Creamer
- 08-22-23
A winner ..
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Great read about about a media giant, his success, and his foibles. The fall of CBS chairman Les Moonves during the "Me too" movement was a shot heard round the world for corporations. Informative and entertaining book.
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- David
- 05-02-23
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.
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2 people found this helpful
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- B
- 03-04-23
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!
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- John C. Barton
- 05-01-23
Real life Succession
Definitely used some of these stories as inspiration for the show. It’s crazier bc it’s real life.
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- Ken Carbone
- 07-13-23
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.
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