It is described as a “entertaining account of his personal journey, an unconventional love story, and a fascinating tour through show business and digital media.” Simon & Schuster will publish the book in May.
It’s time for Barry Diller to share his narrative.
The new memoir by the media mogul, titled Who Knew, will be released on May 20, 2025. It will address Diller’s personal and professional lives and is reportedly delivered in his own unique voice. Or, in the words of acquiring editor and Simon & Schuster CEO Jonathan Karp, “Barry Diller’s book is about much more than business.” It is a fascinating trip through show industry and digital media, an unusual love tale, and an incredibly honest and amusing description of his own life.
Regarding a book that has already made its way into the gossip pages, he continues, “In addition to being full of insights about our lives at work, Who Knew is delightfully candid on every page. Readers know when an author is telling the truth.”
The entertainment industry is familiar with Diller’s resume. He started his work in the mailroom of William Morris and quickly rose through the ranks. At the age of 27, he created the TV movie of the week. At the age of 32, he was appointed CEO of Paramount Pictures, and by the age of 44, he had established Fox, the fourth national network. He managed the creation of well-known motion pictures and television shows during that tenure, such as Saturday Night Fever, Raiders of the Lost Ark, The Simpsons, and Married… with Children. Diller later changed course, acquiring Home Shopping Network and starting IAC, which he expanded into a multibillion-dollar e-commerce company that at one point encompassed Match.com, Tinder, and Expedia. He is still the IAC chair.
Notably, he has been able to stay relevant in the years that have followed by consistently giving extremely candid interviews, frequently discussing the troubled status of Hollywood, among other topics, and by taking risks of his own, such as bidding for Paramount earlier this summer. In the end, the 82-year-old, whose estimated net worth is $4.6 billion according to Forbes, retracted the proposal, saying he “decided that [he] didn’t really desire it.” (In addition, he admitted that he had been interested in buying the studio “more for symmetry of my life” than for any other purpose.)
In terms of personal life, Diller has been wed to fashion icon Diane von Fürstenberg since 2001, in spite of decades of media conjecture on their unusual union. In fact, the interviewer mentioned that “there’s a lot of curiosity” about their marriage, particularly the fact that they were living in different houses, when she was questioned about it in 2013. At the moment, von Fürstenberg responded, “I don’t understand what is there to understand.” “That’s our life; sometimes we were husband and wife, sometimes we were lovers, sometimes we were just friends, and sometimes we were separated.”
Regarding the technical aspects of Who Knew, Robert Barnett of Williams & Connolly represented Simon & Schuster in acquiring the world rights to the novel. The renowned photographer Annie Leibovitz captured Diller’s portrait on the cover. It was supposedly easy for Diller to decide to proceed with a memoir at this point. According to Diller’s comment, “I’ve had a history of telling stories, and I thought mine was a good yarn.” “I welcome it being out there for others to judge and hopefully enjoy if I could write it myself and tell it honestly.”
