Logo

NBC in Hot Water With Ari Emanuel Over ‘Rock Center’ Interview

Mar 25, 2013  •  Post A Comment

William Morris Endeavor co-chief executive officer Ari Emanuel has sent a legal letter to NBC over the nature of his and his two brothers’ discussion with Brian Williams on "Rock Center," according to The Hollywood Reporter’s Hollywood, Esq.

The NBC newsmagazine aired a segment Friday that showed the three brothers — who include Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel and bioethicist Ezekiel Emanuel — discussing their jobs and childhoods.

But Ari took offense to Williams’ approach, the story says. The anchor "approached the interview in an aggressive fashion, asking the brothers about their connection to Israel and Ari’s reputation as an ultra-aggressive Hollywood agent, among other things," the article notes.

"[T]he agent’s lawyers sent the letter asking that NBC not air the more confrontational portions of the interview," according to the story.

Ari reportedly got into a heated conversation with NBC Universal Chief Executive Steve Burke over the interview, the piece adds.

"We hope viewers saw the interview as a lively conversation with three famously colorful brothers who embody a great American story of success," NBC said in a statement.

Part of the interview did get serious with Ari, with Williams noting, "The Emanuel brothers do not suffer from self-doubt, at least not outwardly, they do not suffer fools gladly and, as we learned, they don’t love being challenged or prodded. Ari’s facial expressions speak volumes when the conversation turned to his scorched earth reputation in Hollywood …"

One Comment

  1. If Ari is so concerned about bad publicity, maybe he shouldn’t be acting like a stereotypical Hollywood asshat bully and then compound that impression by hiding behind a bunch of legal intimidation.
    And it’s beyond laughable that Brian Williams is a tough interviewer. He’s no different than the other knee-padders over at NBC. They care far more about having access than making the subjects of their reporting uncomfortable. If I’m wrong, what happened to the scorched-earth confrontation?
    Oh, right, the pretty boy newsreader takes a dive.

Leave a Reply to VideoSavant Cancel Reply

Email (will not be published)