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Ari Emanuel took some shots during his last public appearance.
Endeavor’s CEO took aim at CAA over its handling of Harvey Weinstein-related issues and called on Bryan Lourd and Kevin Huvane to “take a leave of absence” while the matter is investigated.
He also urged studios and actors to make a deal, even if it means getting “half a loaf,” saying, “You’re not winning an Oscar for this negotiation.”
At the Bloomberg Screentime event, he also expressed interest in the rights to WWE’s Raw and announced deals with Netflix for Tyler Perry and David Ellison.
He also targeted Benjamin Netanyahu over the terrorist attacks in Israel.
It was a short but, as always, extremely entertaining conversation with Emanuel.
On CAA, which along with Disney and Miramax is being sued by Julia Ormond over an alleged sexual assault by Weinstein in 1995, he said there should be a full investigation. “You should take a leave of absence,” he said, referring to Lourd and Huvane.
“I don’t know where Margot Robbie is, where Meryl Streep is in this matter,” he said.
“We have more morale,” he added.
When asked if he was still a Hollywood agent, Emanuel replied that he was and that he had just secured “significant” deals with Netflix for Tyler Perry and David Ellison, although he gave no further details.
On the strike front, Emanuel said there were “big issues” that needed to be addressed. “I just hope they all get in a room, lock the door and don’t leave,” he said.
“If you’re in a negotiation, grab half a loaf and move on,” he added. “You don’t have to solve every problem right away.”
Asked which companies he would buy or sell in a hypothetical game, Emanuel said he believes YouTube and owners Google, Microsoft and Netflix “would be fine” but was less bullish on Paramount and Fox, adding , that he believed Warner Bros. Discovery boss David Zaslav had “figured it out” after a tough year.
Emanuel confirmed that Endeavor had made a bid for a stake in PGA Tour golf after raising rights positions for WWE’s Raw and other events, particularly since those competitions don’t have seasons like other sports. “There is a lot of interest in Raw at the moment,” he added.
Emanuel opened his chat with a discussion about the situation in Israel. He condemned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for leaving the country vulnerable, calling him “morally corrupt.” “I don’t think this man deserves to be in power,” he added.
Finally, when Emanuel was asked about the successor at Endeavour, he praised President Mark Shapiro, calling him a “fantastic” manager, but adding: “I’m not going anywhere.”