One of Hollywood’s most accomplished, feared—and funny—dealmakers, Ari Emanuel joins Emmy Award-winning journalist and MS NOW anchor Rachel Maddow for a candid conversation about his extraordinary career and his new memoir, Roll the Calls.
For more than three decades, Emanuel—the inspiration for Ari Gold in HBO’s Entourage—has helped shape the worlds of entertainment, sports, and media from behind the scenes. On his 34th birthday, Emanuel and three fellow agents launched Endeavor, a talent agency that would go on to represent some of the biggest names in show business, including Larry David, Quentin Tarantino, Denzel Washington, Billie Eilish, Martin Scorsese, and Oprah Winfrey, while expanding into fashion, sports, music and art. As Executive Chair and CEO of TKO and Executive Chairman of WME Group, he has brokered landmark deals, built global brands, and reshaped Hollywood from the inside.
Now, in his take-no-prisoners memoir, Roll the Calls, Emanuel pulls back the curtain on the story behind his success: his early struggles with dyslexia, the signings and firings, the triumphant mergers and nasty breakups, the hard-won victories and crushing mistakes. Part coming-of-age tale, part master class in never, ever, ever giving up, the book is a frank, funny look at what it takes to make it in the business of culture.
In an unfiltered conversation, Emanuel and Maddow explore the defining moments that transformed him —and what it takes to build companies, champion artists, and find purpose amid relentless change. Don’t miss this behind-the-scenes look at modern Hollywood, as one of its most formidable dealmakers speaks for himself with one of the most incisive interviewers of our generation.