Mr. Diller writes movingly about his early fears that his sexuality would be used against him ... Charming ... Those familiar with how Hollywood figures ordinarily scramble to hog the credit will find such humility refreshing ... The most entertaining revelations in the book are the asides, great stories that Mr. Diller tosses off, too briefly, in a line or two.
A glimpse into the micro-mechanics of consumer capitalism, in forms that are still eccentric enough to be entertaining ... Sometimes moving ... Diller is a good narrator of his own life, though reading him naturally raises the question of how reliable any of us are when assessing our effect on the world ... Engaging detail ... The second half of the book, though far less glamorous—and far less entertaining—than the first, is arguably more significant, if only because it describes changes that, for good or ill, reshaped more of the media world.
There’s something reassuring about Diller believing it’s worth his while, and ours, to issue entertainment in such an old-fashioned delivery unit ... Detail and discretion (or maybe the limits of memory) do a funny kind of battle in Who Knew It’s a tell-some.
The famed executive is more forthcoming than he has been in the past, particularly regarding his romantic life ... The memoir’s most notable (and news-generating) reveal is Diller’s first public acknowledgment that he is gay, a somewhat open secret but one that Diller had never confirmed ...
But surely there is more that Diller could say about what was happening inside his heart and mind during some of the key milestones on a relationship journey that often caused him immense anxiety ... Diller has every right to keep certain details of his private life to himself. But when you’re writing a memoir and you state from the jump that 'you’re too old to care' what people think, readers will expect you to spill a little more than this ... His recollections of his time at Paramount and Fox are peppered with amusing and dramatic anecdotes about difficult deals he wrangled and intense creative arguments that reached high boil .... Rather than drawing any broad conclusions about his legacy, Diller lets Who Knew peter out with some pat concluding comments about how he remains curious and active at 83. He doesn’t acknowledge the most obvious common denominator in his life: fluidity.
