Larry David roasts the groom

At Ari Emanuel's wedding, Larry David called him a "mutant" and worse, but turned his brutal qualities into reasons to love him. The speech moved Emanuel to tears.

“When I go to sleep at night, no matter how bad things are, I say to myself…The C-nt will make everything okay.”

Rage is Emanuel's guiding philosophy

In his new memoir Roll the Calls, Emanuel argues that rage and revenge drive human achievement, from atom splitting to moon landings to Ozempic. He compares plotting revenge to cooking pizza: cold is tastier.

“Rage means shit's finally going to get done. Atom splittings, moon landings, Ozempic, humankind's milestone discoveries didn't start as inspiration; they started as aggravation.”

Entourage made him famous

The HBO comedy's combustible agent character, played by Jeremy Piven, was modeled after Emanuel. Roll the Calls is his chance to explain how he became this way and why he doesn't want to change.

Dyslexia shaped his rage

Emanuel traces his anger back to childhood dyslexia and being picked on in the Chicago suburbs. His mother hung all her kids' report cards on the fridge, and his brothers earned advanced degrees while he struggled academically.

“Everyone's report card goes on the refrigerator, Ari. You want a report card you can be proud of? Work harder.”

Three brothers, three roles

Zeke became a prominent oncologist and bioethicist. Rahm became a longtime Democratic politician and Chicago mayor. Ari felt like the overlooked one: "No one ever corrected me."

“Zeke? He's the brainy one. Rahm? He's the cunning one. Me? I'm the last one…. No one ever corrected me.”

Rough and tumble childhood

Emanuel describes brutal fights with his older brothers involving wrestling, punching, kicking, and eye gouging. He also beat a kid nearly to death for insulting a student in his special education class.

From TV shop to entertainment empire

Emanuel created Endeavor as a television agency during the golden age of TV in the early 2000s. It evolved into WME Group, now managing UFC, WWE, and deals with Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk. He argues the company had to grow or die.

Stories of Hollywood power plays

Emanuel recounts charging Harvey Weinstein's wine bill, threatening Jeffrey Katzenberg over Lakers tickets, and holding a chair over Michael Ovitz's head. He told Michael Eisner to go fuck himself.

Saudi Arabia investment returned

After Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman reportedly ordered the killing of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi, Emanuel returned the four hundred million dollar investment the Saudi government made in his company.

Patrick Whitesell partnership implodes

Emanuel's business partner of over two decades, Patrick Whitesell, built Endeavor into WME together. But when Whitesell's ex-wife Lauren Sánchez ended up with Jeff Bezos, tensions escalated and Whitesell eventually left the company.

Lack of self-awareness about betrayal

Emanuel attended Bezos and Sánchez's engagement party, which hurt Whitesell. He admits he should have warned his partner but justifies it as a good business move. He then orchestrated Whitesell's removal from the company.

Disloyalists and mental health

Emanuel writes that protecting yourself from disloyalists is the cornerstone of mental health. His world divides quickly into people he protects and people he fights, with no middle ground.

“protecting yourself from "disloyalists" is "the cornerstone of mental health."”

Surrogate father to his niece

When his niece Ashlee struggled as a teenager, Emanuel became her surrogate father and gave her tough love. When she later asked him and his then wife to adopt her, they said yes immediately.

Therapy and the refrigerator moment

Emanuel saw the same therapist for years, trying to be more selective about his rage. After Endeavor's thirteen billion dollar valuation in twenty twenty-four, he called his mother to say it deserved to go on the refrigerator. She couldn't hear him.

“Mom. I think this deserves to go on the refrigerator.”