Viacom Honcho Sumner Redstone's Dirty Secrets Exposed: Billionaire Boss Paid '$150Million for Hookers' and 'Dragged' Employee into Sex Clubs Abroad
Sumner Redstone was worth billions... and apparently some cash went toward hookers.
Nov. 18 2025, Published 1:45 p.m. ET
Sumner Redstone, the billionaire Viacom chairman, was interested in just more than his money and his vast network; he was also all about sex clubs, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
Tom Freston, the CEO of what was then Viacom, has released a new book titled Unplugged: Adventures From MTV to Timbuktu, in which he highlights Redstone's interest in sex, claiming he would drop millions on hookers.
Redstone's Sex Clubs Adventures
Viacom boss Redstone was all about sex clubs, according to his former employee.
In one part of his new book, released on Tuesday, November 18, Freston claims he, Redstone, and Redstone's mistress once visited sex clubs in Asia.
"... It showed a side of him. On one hand, he’s a brilliant businessman, bold and unstoppable," Freston told The Hollywood Reporter in a new interview. "I mean, who wants to start a conglomerate when they're, like, 65 or whatever he was? But then there was this side of him that was emerging that I saw.
"And then, in the end, after I leave [the company], he's spending, like, $150million on hookers. I thought maybe that thing in Bangkok kind of set him off on a new trail."
Freston added: "... Taking him through there and just looking at the look on his face... I had to get out of there, and he had to move up [to get a closer look]. I hadn't seen that side of him before because he was always with his wife, Phyllis. I never knew he had this longing."
Redstone 'Obsessed' With Sex
'He's spending, like, $150million on hookers,' ex CEO Tom Freston claimed about Redstone.
According to Manuela Herzer, an ex-girlfriend of the media magnate, Redson was "obsessed about wanting to have sex," and it was obvious during a termite outbreak at his home in 2015, which led him to rent billionaire Larry Ellison's Malibu Mansion for six months.
"In Malibu, Redstone relentlessly called out for [Herzer], demanding that she come over. But she didn’t answer her phone," a Vanity Fair article previously reported. "Back at Beverly Park... Redstone continued to pine for her. She showed up, but 'he can't have sex, so it's all in his head, right?' … ‘How can a guy with a feeding tube who can't move have sex? There's no sex.'”
Redstone was married to journalist Phyllis Gloria Raphael from 1947 to 1999. Three years later, he would tie the knot with Paula Fortunato, parting ways with her in 2009.
Redstone, who passed away in 2020 at the age of 97, was the chairman of both CBS and Viacom from 2000 until his retirement in 2016. He was ultimately succeeded by Les Moonves at CBS, while Philippe Dauman took over at Viacom.
Redstone V. Tom Cruise
Redstone once cut ties with Tom Cruise over the actor's odd behavior.
However, while still at the helm in 2006, Redstone fired Freston, replacing him with Dauman.
"I was humiliated and depressed," Freston recalled of his termination in his new interview. "I was leaving this thing that I loved, and we were just getting going. I'd seen him fire both Mel Karmazin, who was wonderful, and Frank Biondi, who was fantastic, for doing their jobs. They were making smart moves, and they were getting credit.
"So, I packed up and I thought I'd just sneak out, get a taxi, and go home. Then the elevator door opened, and I couldn't believe it. It was packed, and it was a big lobby, and they started chanting my name. I mean, they followed me out the door..."
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The billionaire was the chairman of both CBS and Viacom from 2000 until his retirement in 2016.
Freston even shared a moment of bonding with iconic film star Tom Cruise, who Redstone had cut ties with that same year after the actor's bizarre behavior, including jumping on Oprah Winfrey's couch.
"[Cruise] called up, and I had a good relationship with Tom. He's a lively, friendly guy, and he was the backbone of Viacom, and then he's getting humiliated by Redstone for no good reason," Freston said in the interview. "So, we both just laughed. And Tom was very kind, he said, 'I'm sorry to see you go,' and I think he was sincere."
