5 years after his loss of life, the legacy of Viacom/CBS mogul Sumner Redstone continues to make headlines. His daughter, Shari Redstone, is presently combating to shut an $8 billion sale of Paramount International to David Ellison’s Skydance Media. The deal would assist the Redstone household repay a whole lot of hundreds of thousands in debt and protect their management by way of most popular shares. However the merger has hit critical turbulence because of a $20 billion lawsuit filed by President Trump, who claims CBS’ “60 Minutes” deceptively edited an interview with Kamala Harris.
The lawsuit has triggered an FCC evaluation and sparked issues from lawmakers {that a} potential settlement with Trump may violate federal bribery legal guidelines. Paramount executives have resigned over the controversy, and the deal’s future stays unsure. If it collapses, Paramount will owe Skydance a $400 million breakup payment.
However lengthy earlier than Shari Redstone was navigating boardroom battles, her father was making headlines of a really totally different form… by spending a whole lot of hundreds of thousands of {dollars} on ex-girlfriends, mistresses, and transient flings…
Sumner Redstone lived a captivating life. His father began as a supply driver and later used his earnings from bootlegging throughout Prohibition to launch a legit liquor distribution firm. That enterprise turned profitable sufficient to bankroll early investments in nightclubs and drive-in film theaters. After incomes a legislation diploma and dealing as a federal antitrust lawyer, Sumner joined the household enterprise in his early 30s and shortly took over. He rebranded it as Nationwide Amusements and commenced increasing a series of drive-ins throughout the nation.
Redstone funneled these earnings into the media sector. His first main transfer got here in 1987, when he purchased Viacom for $3.7 billion. He later merged it with Blockbuster and used the mixed firm to amass Paramount for $10 billion. In 1999, he spent a then-record $37 billion to amass CBS.
At its peak, Redstone’s 80% stake in Nationwide Amusements was price $6 billion. When he died in 2020 on the age of 97, he was price $2.6 billion.
However Redstone’s exploits weren’t confined to boardrooms and steadiness sheets. He was legendary for his extravagant spending on ladies—lavishing items, money, and property on a protracted line of ex-girlfriends, flings, and acquaintances.
Sumner was married twice. As soon as for over 50 years. The second time was to a girl almost 4 many years his junior. Apparently, alongside the way in which, he had many, many trysts.
We discovered about a few of these trysts because of a 2016 lawsuit involving an ex-girlfriend named Sydney Holland. Redstone’s relations launched a lawsuit in opposition to Holland and a housekeeper, accusing them of emotionally abusing Sumner whereas additionally tricking him into giving them over $150 million in items over a five-year interval.
In Holland’s response, she claimed Redstone had a decades-long historical past of giving girlfriends extraordinarily lavish items and funds.
Holland testified that the sex-starved nonagenarian as soon as gave a flight attendant who labored on the CBS company jet $18 million. He then proceeded to have intercourse with the flight attendant’s sister. He reportedly gave the sister $6 million.
In keeping with Sydney Holland, the sisters had been simply two of no less than 11 ladies that Redstone showered with money after trysts. From her courtroom submitting:
“Redstone gave tens of hundreds of thousands of {dollars} to varied different ladies, who he had no intention of marrying and was not in love with, on the time, he was engaged to marry Sydney. Ladies who did nothing greater than present sexual favors.”
This is Sumner and Sydney pictured collectively:
Sumner Redstone and Sydney Holland (Frederick M. Brown/Getty Photographs)
Holland met Redstone within the fall of 2010 once they had been arrange by “The Millionaire Matchmaker” Patti Stanger. Their courtship concerned costly dinners out and lengthy drives down the Pacific Coast Freeway. Quickly, Holland was Redstone’s lover and caregiver. In change, he agreed to deal with her financially for the remainder of her life.
In keeping with Holland’s courtroom filings, Redstone required that she be dwelling for lunch and dinner with him seven days per week. She was additionally required to go to mattress when he needed to, whether or not or not she was drained. In change, Redstone showered her with Hermes baggage, jewellery, artwork, money, and weekly bouquets of her favourite flowers.
However when Redstone came upon a few short-lived affair Holland had, he kicked her out of his mansion, lower her off financially, and eliminated her from his belief.
Holland sued to safe an affordable month-to-month help, plus an modification to Redstone’s belief reinstating her as a beneficiary.
Holland additionally accused Redstone’s daughter, Shari Redstone, of blocking Holland from her father’s life. Sumner Redstone’s attorneys referred to as Holland’s claims a piece of fiction.
Listed below are some extra notable claims from the submitting:
Sumner allegedly gave one in every of his mistresses, an aspiring actuality TV present producer, $21 million He gave one other girl, additionally met by way of Patti Stranger, $10-$11 million He gave one other mistress $7 million He gave a buddy of his grandson’s girlfriend a job at Showtime and $6 million He gave one other mistress $1.5 million He paid for a school pupil’s tuition on the College of California whereas additionally paying her an undisclosed quantity Holland claims that there are “many different ladies who he gave tens of hundreds of thousands of {dollars} to” Holland additionally drops not-so-subtle hints that the billionaire’s sexual predilections will not be standard. The courtroom paperwork state that there have been “many different acts dedicated by Redstone and uncomfortable requests he made from Sydney that won’t be detailed right here.”
In the event you add all these alleged funds up and mix with the $150 million Sydney Holland and a housekeeper reportedly got by Sumner, we’re speaking about AT LEAST $220 million in funds to girlfriends and hook-ups. This does not embody “undisclosed quantities” or the “tens of hundreds of thousands” allegedly paid to different ladies.
Insane. Is it simply me, or would not it have been A LOT cheaper to pay for a number of of the costliest call-girls on the planet to be out there 24-7?
However hey. If you’re a billionaire, you are able to do no matter you need along with your cash!