Ari Emanuel, born Ariel Zev Emanuel on March 29, 1961, in Chicago, is a prominent American businessman, talent agent, and media executive. He is the CEO of Endeavor and the CEO and executive chairman of TKO Group Holdings, the publicly traded company that owns the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). Emanuel rose to prominence as a founding partner of the Endeavor talent agency in 1995, which merged with the William Morris Agency in 2009 to form William Morris Endeavor (WME), where he served as co-CEO. He previously worked with Ted Sarandos at the company and began his career in the mailroom at Creative Artists Agency (CAA), later becoming a partner at InterTalent and a senior agent at International Creative Management (ICM). Emanuel expanded Endeavor's influence through the $2.4 billion acquisition of IMG in 2013 and led the $4 billion purchase of the UFC, transforming it into a multi-billion dollar enterprise. In 2023, he became CEO of TKO Group Holdings following the UFC-WWE merger. He has served on the board of Live Nation Entertainment since 2007 and co-founded TheAudience in 2011. Growing up in a highly accomplished Jewish family in Wilmette, Illinois, with father Dr. Benjamin Emanuel (a pediatrician and former Irgun member) and mother Marsha Smulevitz (civil rights activist and former nightclub owner), Emanuel has brothers Rahm (former White House Chief of Staff and Mayor of Chicago) and Ezekiel (oncologist and bioethicist), plus an adopted sister Shoshana. Diagnosed with dyslexia and hyperactivity, he graduated from New Trier High School and earned a BA from Macalester College, where he roomed with director Peter Berg. Known for his aggressive negotiation tactics and intense work ethic, Emanuel inspired the character Ari Gold on HBO's Entourage and advocated for blacklisting Mel Gibson in 2006 over anti-Semitic remarks. He faced a 2002 lawsuit alleging racist and anti-gay remarks, settled for $2.25 million. Personally, he has been open about therapy for dyslexia, was married to Sarah Hardwick Addington (divorced 2018, three sons), and married fashion designer Sarah Staudinger in 2022. A major Democratic donor, he gave $1 million to Kamala Harris's 2024 campaign and has ties to Donald Trump. In 2025, his net worth exceeded $1 billion, with 2023 Endeavor compensation of $83.9 million; he launched the 'Rushmore' podcast and has a memoir Roll the Calls set for 2026.