Who Knew

Barry Diller has influenced every aspect of American culture for over sixty years. He changed how we watch TV, how movies are made, how we shop, how we consume media, and even how we date. Yet Diller’s private life and business insights have never been made public—until now. After a childhood in a wealthy but dysfunctional family in Beverly Hills, Barry Diller began his career in the William Morris mailroom; before long he moved to ABC, and as a young executive he created the concepts of the TV movie and miniseries and championed such landmark shows as Roots, The Simpsons, and Married, With Children. Expanding into cinema, he reinvented how the studio system operated, becoming the only person to have been Chief Executive of three major studios: Paramount, 20th Century Fox, and Universal. In this revealing memoir, Diller recounts a life spent making deals, careers, and decisions that have changed the course of American culture. He shares stories of working (and sometimes fighting) with such talented filmmakers and actors as George Lucas, Warren Beatty, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and many others, and he vividly recounts his partnerships and battles with business titans such as Charles Bludhorn, Rupert Murdoch, and Sumner Redstone. He has also experienced unparalleled success helming such companies as QVC and Match.com, and helping to create New York’s High Line and Little Island. Who Knew is also a deeply intimate story, told with unflinching candor. For the first time, Diller recounts his decades-long struggles with his personal life, and his relationship with and marriage to Diane Von Furstenberg. In what is sure to be one of the most fascinating and talked-about books of the year, Who Knew holds nothing back, providing a moving, honest, and revealing account of Barry Diller’s singular career and life.