Barry Diller unfiltered: Drugs, secrets, The Simpsons, and earning billions

Barry Diller — one of the most influential figures in the history of American media — sits down for his most candid interview ever. Over a remarkable career spanning six decades, Diller invented the made-for-TV movie at ABC at age 24, ran Paramount Pictures through the era of Saturday Night Fever and Raiders of the Lost Ark, launched the Fox Broadcasting Network with Rupert Murdoch betting his entire company on the idea, greenlighted The Simpsons, and then — when Hollywood thought his best days were behind him — built a second empire through QVC, Expedia, Match, Tinder, and IAC that created over $100 billion in value. In this conversation, Diller goes further than he ever has before: his troubled childhood in Beverly Hills, a brother addicted to heroin, coming to terms with his sexuality as a teenager, an AIDS test he had destroyed without reading the results, and why his nearly 50-year relationship with Diane von Furstenberg is the miracle of his life. He reflects on the friends he's known at their most raw — Jack Nicholson before anyone knew his name, Katharine Hepburn sneaking into swimming pools — and pulls no punches on the deals he missed (Amazon, Pixar, AOL), the ones he won, and the people who crossed him. He also speaks frankly about CNN, the future of Hollywood, why he defends tech CEOs cozying up to Trump, and what Jeff Bezos and Steve Jobs have in common. #interview #podcast #media Want the full story behind the interview? Grab Barry Diller’s memoir "Who Knew": https://amzn.to/419FKAV (affiliate link) 0:00 - Intro 1:36 - Sailing & Love of Water 9:41 - Investing in Las Vegas & MGM 12:13 - Kirk Kerkorian & Old Hollywood Legends 15:24 - The Coin Flip Gambling Story 16:38 - Barry's Relationship with Money 18:01 - Growing Up & His Parents 20:48 - His Mother's Orphanage Story 22:18 - Childhood Without Boundaries 23:28 - Feeling Undeserving of a Future 24:36 - Voracious Reading vs. Skipping School 26:15 - His Brother's Addiction & Abuse 29:53 - Drugs, Quaaludes & Studio 54 34:19 - Smoking, Vaping & Health 38:14 - Starting at William Morris Agency 39:51 - Creating Movies for Television at ABC 42:09 - Rupert Murdoch & Launching Fox 45:06 - Building the Fourth Network 48:44 - Home Alone Saving News Corp 51:55 - CNN: Past, Present & Future Ambitions 54:34 - The Paramount Bidding War 55:39 - Hollywood Then vs. Now & Streaming 1:02:00 - Tech Companies & Trump 1:04:39 - Jeff Bezos & Blue Origin 1:06:32 - Good Deals & Bad Deals (Pixar, AOL, MySpace) 1:08:42 - Ticketmaster & Live Nation Merger 1:10:07 - Indiana Jones & George Lucas 1:12:10 - Michael Eisner & Paramount Days 1:13:44 - Jack Nicholson & Katharine Hepburn 1:15:30 - The Simpsons Origin Story 1:19:28 - Living in the Moment & Need for Control 1:21:28 - Being a Boss & Hiring Philosophy 1:25:51 - Charlie Bluhdorn & Running Paramount 1:29:18 - Saturday Night Fever's Silver Frame 1:29:58 - Leaving Fox & Discovering QVC 1:32:32 - HSN Turnaround & Building Expedia/Match/Tinder 1:34:20 - Sexuality & Dr. Theodore Rich 1:36:21 - The AIDS Test Story 1:39:41 - Secrets, Courage & Coming Out 1:40:23 - Diane: The Miracle of His Life 1:43:00 - Philanthropy: Little Island & The High Line 1:46:37 - What Makes You Happy Become a member to watch full episodes and get exclusive access to content: https://bit.ly/3q4TjAb Subscribe to watch the latest interviews: http://bit.ly/1R1Fd6w Episode debuted nationwide in 2026.