Confessions of a Mogul (with Barry Diller)

Stay Tuned with Preet

Vox Media Podcast Network

Society & Culture, Politics, Government, News

4.8 • 32.3K Ratings

🗓️ 24 July 2025

⏱️ 67 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Media executive Barry Diller, one of the industry's most successful moguls, is behind some of America’s most popular films and TV shows, from Home Alone to The Simpsons to Roots. He’s now the chairman and senior executive of IAC and Expedia Group. Diller’s new memoir, Who Knew, is a candid account of his family, his career, and his sexuality – long a source of public speculation and debate. He joins Preet to talk about what it was like to bare his soul, how Hollywood died when the “tech overlords” took over, and why he thinks conflict is essential. In the bonus for Insiders, Diller gives his take on the current political moment, and whether AI can replace the artist’s process. Then, Preet answers questions about President Trump’s attempts to shut down the Department of Education and the difference between justice and revenge. Join the CAFE Insider community to stay informed without hysteria, fear-mongering, or rage-baiting. Head to cafe.com/insider to sign up. Thank you for supporting our work. Show notes and a transcript of the episode are available on our website. You can now watch this episode! Head to CAFE’s Youtube channel and subscribe. Have a question for Preet? Ask @PreetBharara on BlueSky, or Twitter with the hashtag #AskPreet. Email us at [email protected], or call 833-997-7338 to leave a voicemail. Stay Tuned with Preet is brought to you by CAFE and the Vox Media Podcast Network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	From Cafe and the Vox Media Podcast Network, welcome to stay tuned.
0:05.9	I'm Preet Bharara.
0:08.0	I was able to take risks that other people wouldn't take because I had one big risk, one huge fear, one big anvil over my head.
0:19.5	So it obliterated others where to me business risks were
0:23.7	meaningless. I couldn't care less about business risk. That's Barry Diller. Whether you're
0:32.6	familiar with his name or not, you're certainly familiar with his work. Diller is one of America's most successful
0:38.3	businessman, having launched ABC TV's movie of the week at 27, becoming CEO of Paramount Pictures at 32,
0:45.6	and launching the Fox TV network at 44. Diller green lit a seemingly infinite number of fan favorites,
0:52.4	including the film's Saturday Night Fever, Raiders of the Lost
0:55.6	Arc, and Home Alone, and the popular TV shows The Simpsons, married with children, cops, and roots.
1:02.4	I assure you, the list goes on and on. He is the founder and chairman of IAC, which now houses
1:09.0	popular brands including Match, Tinder, and Expedia.
1:12.5	Dillert is also a brilliant writer. His new memoir, titled Who New, is an intimate exploration
1:18.2	of his life, love, and career. He joins me this week to talk about it all. Plus, what he thinks
1:23.7	about the new tech-controlled media industry, choosing instinct over data, and why he
1:28.5	likes conflict. Then I'll answer questions about the difference between justice and revenge,
1:33.2	and also Trump's attempts to shut down the Department of Education. That's coming up. Stay tuned. Support for this show comes from OnePassword.
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	...

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