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Ariel Emanuel

Executive Chair & Chief Executive Officer, TKO Group Holdings

Search every verified Ariel Emanuel interview, podcast appearance, and on-the-record quote — each transcript cross-checked by AI and human review to confirm speaker identity. Ariel Emanuel has been conducting a wide-ranging press tour for his memoir, "Roll the Calls," during which he has discussed his career, his struggles with dyslexia, and his management style. In interviews, he has described rage as a clarifying tool in business, stated he learned to channel his anger from childhood bullying, and attributed his success to persistence, such as consistently making phone calls. He has also discussed his family, including his brother Rahm Emanuel, whom he described as the best-qualified candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination, while noting Rahm is not currently running. Regarding his business activities, Emanuel has discussed TKO Group Holdings, which owns UFC and WWE, and his investment firm MARI, which he has said targets live events as a counterbalance to the rise of AI. He has commented on the proposed Paramount merger with Warner Brothers, expressing support for the deal and highlighting the role of David Ellison in its execution. Emanuel has also addressed his dealings with political figures, including President Donald Trump, saying he maintains a working relationship and has communicated with him about film and television tax credits. He has expressed views on AI in entertainment, arguing it will lower production costs while necessitating new compensation formulas for creators.

Recent appearances

  • ‘Rolling the calls’: Ari Emanuel reflects on Hollywood success

    October 23, 2026 · 📺 Fox News Clips

    Talent agent and businessman Ari Emanuel explains how anger can be a useful skill and reveals the truth behind ‘Entourage’ character Ari Gold on ‘Special Report.’ #fox #foxnews #media #breakingnews #us #usa #new #news #breaking #specialreport #ariemanuel #emanuel #rahmemanuel #hollywood #entertainment #entertainmentnews #showbusiness #talentagent #business #entrepreneurship #success #leadership #motivation #career #entourage #arigold #television #popculture #celebrity #celebritynews #politics #political #politicalnews #government #presidentialelection #whitehouse #bretbaier #baier #interview…

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  • Ari Emanuel Roll the Calls

    October 13, 2026 · 📺 Adriana Trigiani's You Are What You Read

    On today’s episode of You Are What You Read, we are excited to welcome Ari Emanuel to the podcast with his New York Times bestselling memoir, ROLL THE CALLS. Ari Emanuel is one of Hollywood’s most accomplished, feared—and funny—dealmakers who has some stuff he wants to get off his chest… He is the CEO and Executive Chair of TKO, the Executive Chairman of WME Group, and the Founder and Principal Investor of MARI. As Hollywood’s best-known super-agent—the inspiration for “Ari Gold” in the classic TV drama Entourage—he’s paid to speak for his A-list clients, not himself. Now, for the first time,…

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  • Ari Emanuel | Club Random with Bill Maher

    October 12, 2026 · 📺 Club Random Podcast

    Hollywood power broker Ari Emanuel drops by Club Random, which is convenient, since he’s also Bill’s agent. As Bill points out, maybe once the book tour is over, Ari can go back to thinking about him! Ari takes Bill from the mailroom to the boardroom, revealing the hustle, grudges, lucky breaks, and unaffordable Lakers tickets behind the rise of Endeavor. There’s the Jay Leno/Conan O’Brien shake-up, a 16-hour flight to China for a lunch that never happened, the real man behind Entourage’s Ari Gold, and a courtship strategy that sounds suspiciously like a hostile takeover. The calls have been…

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  • 'The mega-agent of our time': Rachel Maddow talks with Ari Emanuel

    October 09, 2026 · 📺 MS NOW

    MS NOW has teamed up with the 92nd Street Y to bring viewers unforgettable conversations with influential voices from politics, culture and entertainment. In this edition of Nicolle Wallace presents: The 92NY on MS NOW, Rachel Maddow interviews Hollywood agent and dealmaker Ari Emanuel about his new book, "Roll the Calls," his life and career, his bizarre health routine that involves eating live worms, and his relationship with Donald Trump. MS NOW: My Source for News, Opinion, and the World. » Subscribe to MS NOW:    / @msnow   » Become an MS NOW Member! Join us here http://ms.now/membersh…

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  • Ari Emanuel on the Paramount merger & the future of AI in show business

    October 07, 2026 · 📺 On with Kara Swisher

    Ari Emanuel built a name for himself in Hollywood as a firebrand agent filled with rage. In his new memoir, “Roll the Calls,” he reflects on how that rage shaped his career and argues it helped him transform the entertainment industry. He’s now the executive chair and CEO of TKO and executive chairman of the WME Group. In a live conversation hosted by Live Talks Los Angeles, Kara and Ari talk about the ways growing up in the shadow of two talented older brothers shaped his perception of himself, and why Kara believes the book reveals a softer side of the notoriously fiery “ragent.” They also…

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  • Building an Empire with Risk, Rage & 200 Phone Calls A Day | Ari Emanuel, WME & TKO

    October 07, 2026 · 📺 David Senra

    Ari Emanuel is the co-founder of Endeavor, executive chair and CEO of TKO, executive chairman of WME Group, and founder of MARI. We talk about his $4.2 billion bet on the UFC, the ESPN deal that proved it right, lessons from Egon Durban and David Geffen, and how constantly making calls creates opportunities you can’t plan for. Ari also opens up about dyslexia, decades of insecurity, and learning to enjoy his life without losing the drive that built his businesses. Show notes: https://www.davidsenra.com/episode/ar... David Senra X: https://x.com/davidsenra Instagram:   / davidsenra   LinkedIn…

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  • Ari Emanuel, Hollywood Super-Agent and Executive Chair/CEO of TKO Group Holdings, Sits Down with...

    October 06, 2026 · 📺 Cumulus News Talk

    Tonight on America At Night with McGraw Milhaven, Dr. Deborah Birx, physician, diplomat and former White House Coronavirus Task Force Coordinator, discusses the reported “new” Russia plague and the questions surrounding emerging infectious disease threats and pandemic preparedness. Then, Ari Emanuel, Hollywood super agent and Executive Chair and CEO of TKO, sits down with McGraw to discuss his bestselling book, Roll the Calls, and his extraordinary career at the intersection of Hollywood, media, sports and business. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices (…

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  • 'You have to talk to the other side': Ari Emanuel on working with leaders, billionaires

    October 01, 2026 · 📺 MS NOW

    In his new memoir "Roll the Calls," Ari Emanuel discusses his rise to success in the entertainment industry, his struggle with dyslexia, and more. Emanuel joins Stephanie Ruhle to share more on the book. MS NOW: My Source for News, Opinion, and the World. » Subscribe to MS NOW:    / @msnow   Become an MS NOW Member! Join us here http://ms.now/membership MS NOW is the go-to destination for domestic and international breaking news, and best-in-class opinion journalism. For more context and news coverage of the most important stories of our day click here: https://www.ms.now/ #AriEmanuel #En…

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  • The Ari Emanuel Experience

    September 30, 2026 · 📺 The Town with Matt Belloni

    Matt is joined by Ari Emanuel—executive chair and CEO of TKO, executive chair of WME Group, and founder and principal investor of Mari—to discuss his new memoir, 'Roll the Calls'; why he didn’t mention CAA’s Bryan Lourd in the book; his relationship with Patrick Whitesell, David Ellison, and Donald Trump; Elon Musk; and the current state of Hollywood. Plus, a lightning round about failures, paydays, and worms (02:19). Host: Matt Belloni Guest: Ari Emanuel Producers: Craig Horlbeck, Stefano Sanchez, and Steve Ahlman Theme Song: Devon Renaldo SAP GROW. AI cloud ERP for any size business.

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  • How Ari Emanuel Started in the Mailroom Then Built a Hollywood Empire | Aspire with Emma Grede

    September 29, 2026 · 📺 Emma Grede

    Ari Emanuel is one of the most powerful people in entertainment, the real-life inspiration for Ari Gold on Entourage, and this is one of the most honest conversations I've had on the show. Ari started in the CAA mailroom, co-founded Endeavor with three other agents and almost no money, and over three decades merged with William Morris, bought IMG and UFC, and reshaped the entire business. But what I really wanted to get into was the how — and the cost. He opens up about growing up with severe dyslexia, being bullied, and turning that anger into fuel. He talks about why you have to say what y…

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  • Ari Emanuel on Donald Trump, Elon Musk, and Mixing Business with Politics

    September 26, 2026 · 📺 The New Yorker

    The entertainment agent and executive talks with David Remnick about his dealings with the President, Elon Musk, and Mohammed bin Salman, and operating within “shades of gray.” This interview is drawn from The New Yorker Radio Hour, a weekly radio show and podcast hosted by David Remnick. For more, follow The New Yorker Radio Hour wherever you get your podcasts. http://swap.fm/l/tny-radiohour-eBFv3Y Subscribe to the New Yorker channel on YouTube so that you never miss an episode: http://bit.ly/newyorkeryoutubesub

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  • Super Agent Ari Emanuel Stops By The Office + We Meet Up With Scottie Scheffler

    September 25, 2026 · 📺 Pardon My Take

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Verified interview transcripts

Notable quotes

“We're going to have to figure out an economic forum, a formula that if they're scraping your stuff or Larry Davis stuff or Greg Daniels or Aaron Sorcin or Marty Scorsesei, there's got to we're going to have to create formulas. We're just in the beginning innings, probably the first inning. And and I think that that will happen. Um because otherwise um there's no re there's no reason uh for these models to exist excep”

“I think AI is going to make that movie probably enable us to create that movie for 20. He says 20, maybe it's 25, maybe it's 15. I think it's going to enable There's going to be some people that are disintermediated for sure. That's not great, but we're going to have to figure that out. But I also think that there's going to be one, it's going to cost less to make movies there. It's going to be a tool for great artis”

“I think it's because we have the same kind of parents brought up by liberal parents, you know, punching never punching down. You you fight with a lot of people, but it's always punching up. And when Kanye was anti-semitic, you know, there was money on the table with Bel Gibson, who's a client, and Kosogible. Yeah. So the journalist in Saudi Arabia with his head cut off. So you stood up for the Jews. You stood up for ”

“I think live entertainment is the opposite bet of where AI is going. And I do also think the movie and television business is going to explode because costs are going to come down because of AI and the movie and tele there's going to be more free time. You know, my son Leo, my my youngest, he's 23, 24, he works at Poly Market. He goes, 'You know what they call Thursday, Dad?' 'No, what do they call Thursday?' 'Thursd”

“Take all the movie and television issues as it relates to the Attorney General's and what they've said, and whether it hits the standard of being a monopoly, which it doesn't. Take $30 billion he's going to spend on content, which I think is important, the 30 movies he's going to do, theatrical release, and the 170 series he's going to do. I have stated the following, as a Democrat, to David Ellison, to Rob Bonta, to”

“I spoke to him three weeks ago. He called me about the tax credit. The film and television tax credit. And he said, 'Send me a memo.' I sent him a memo. Adam Schiff is on board with it. He complimented Adam Schiff. And in that conversation, and I got him the memo, and I talked about what I thought was good, and it's one of, he asked me, what do you think about J.D. and this one, and Democrat, and we had this conversa”

Other executives at TKO Group Holdings

  • Mark Shapiro, Chief Operating Officer, President & Director

The summary and quote tags on this profile are produced with AI assistance from verified, first-person interview transcripts, then checked by our team to confirm the speaker's identity and the accuracy of every quote. See how we verify →