Ari Emanuel and Ben Persky's 'Rushmore' podcast returns for season two on Oct. 20
Season two of 'Rushmore', hosted by WME's Ari Emanuel and Ben Persky, premieres Oct. 20 with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell. Later guests include Shaquille O'Neal, Kevin Durant, Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld.
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The story, neutrally told
Left · 2Ari Emanuel, executive chairman of WME Group and executive chairman and CEO of TKO Group, and co-host Ben Persky will bring back their podcast 'Rushmore' for a second season on Oct. 20. The Hollywood ReporterLC “Emanuel and co-host Ben Persky will bring back their Rushmore podcast Oct. 20” Read at The Hollywood Reporter ↗ VarietyLC “Ari Emanuel, executive chairman of WME Group and exec chair and CEO of TKO Group” Read at Variety ↗ Left · 2The show has Emanuel and Persky debate the greatest people, events and teams of all time with high-profile guests. The Hollywood ReporterLC “debate the greatest people, events, and teams of all time” Read at The Hollywood Reporter ↗ VarietyLC “tap into the insights — and personal stories — from top figures across sports, entertainment, media, fashion, music, gaming and more” Read at Variety ↗ Left · 2The premiere features NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell debating the Mount Rushmore of NFL comebacks; Variety says sports analyst Pat McAfee also joins that episode. The Hollywood ReporterLC “NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell will be the guest on the season two premiere, debating the Mount Rushmore of NFL comebacks.” Read at The Hollywood Reporter ↗ VarietyLC “kicking off with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell and sports analyst Pat McAfee joining Emanuel and Persky” Read at Variety ↗
Left · 1Variety reports the second episode, on Oct. 27 alongside the start of the NBA season, pairs Shaquille O'Neal and Kevin Durant to pick the greatest starting five in NBA history, after which the show moves to a bi-weekly schedule. VarietyLC “The season’s second episode, airing a week later on Oct. 27 in tandem with the kickoff of the NBA season”“Rushmore will move to a bi-weekly release cadence” Read at Variety ↗ Left · 2Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld will appear later in the season in an episode about comedy GOATs that Variety says was taped during the Netflix Is a Joke festival in May 2026. VarietyLC “Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld will join Emanuel and Persky for a special episode about comedy GOATs taped during the Netflix Is a Joke festival in May 2026.” Read at Variety ↗ The Hollywood ReporterLC “Future episodes will include appearances from Pat McAfee (who is also a producer on the show), Shaquille O’Neal, Kevin Durant, Larry David, and Jerry Seinfeld.” Read at The Hollywood Reporter ↗ Left · 2Season two is presented with nativ.ly, produced by Pantheon Media Group and filmed mainly at WME's Beverly Hills headquarters, and will be on YouTube and other podcast platforms. The Hollywood ReporterLC “presented in partnership with nativ.ly and produced by Pantheon Media Group, filmed primarily in WME’s Beverly Hills headquarters” Read at The Hollywood Reporter ↗ VarietyLC “will be available to watch on YouTube and listen on all major podcast platforms” Read at Variety ↗
Left · 1Variety notes season one first premiered exclusively on Elon Musk's X and had 15 episodes, with guests including Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Anna Wintour, Elon Musk and Dana White. VarietyLC “(Season 1 initially premiered exclusively on Elon Musk’s X last year.)”“The first season of “Rushmore” comprised 15 episodes” Read at Variety ↗ Left · 2The return follows Emanuel's memoir 'Roll the Calls', released Sept. 22, which The Hollywood Reporter says reached The New York Times best seller list. The Hollywood ReporterLC “Fresh off of his memoir Roll The Calls hitting The New York Times best seller list” Read at The Hollywood Reporter ↗ VarietyLC “Emanuel’s new memoir “Roll the Calls” was released Sept. 22” Read at Variety ↗ Left · 2Emanuel said, 'Everyone has their own Rushmore, and everyone thinks theirs is right,' promising bigger debates and personalities, while Persky said the fun is in the stories and history behind the debate. The Hollywood ReporterLC ““Everyone has their own Rushmore, and everyone thinks theirs is right,” said Emanuel.” Read at The Hollywood Reporter ↗ VarietyLC ““The debate is what gets us started, but the fun is in the stories and history that paint the conversation,”” Read at Variety ↗
Every sentence links to the reporting it rests on. The pill in front of each says where its sources sit: Left, Centre or Right when one side supplies at least half of them, Mixed when they are evenly split. The number is how many outlets it cites.
Left2 outlets
- Framing
- Both trade outlets run the return as an entertainment-business announcement, built around Emanuel's profile and the guest list, and relaying the hosts' statements.
- Emphasis
- Celebrity guests, the premiere date, Emanuel's memoir and his industry roles. Variety adds the episode schedule and the full season-one guest list; THR adds Emanuel's quotes on the show's origins.
- Leaves out or plays down
- Neither outlet offers independent critique or audience reaction. THR does not mention the X exclusivity of season one or the episode schedule.
- Charged language
- “parade of high-profile guests”“one of the most powerful people in entertainment and sports”
- For example
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“with a parade of high-profile guests” — Variety
“become one of the most powerful people in entertainment and sports” — Variety
“Fresh off of his memoir Roll The Calls hitting The New York Times best seller list” — The Hollywood Reporter
Centre0 outlets
No centre outlet in our sources has covered this story yet.
Right0 outlets
No right outlet in our sources has covered this story yet.
What every side reports
- Season two of Rushmore premieres Oct. 20 with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell.
- Emanuel co-hosts with Ben Persky.
- Guests include Shaquille O'Neal, Kevin Durant, Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld.
- The season is presented with nativ.ly and produced by Pantheon Media Group, filmed mainly at WME's Beverly Hills headquarters.
- Episodes will be on YouTube and other podcast platforms.
Where accounts differ
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Who joins Goodell on the season-two premiere
- Left
- The Hollywood Reporter names only Goodell for the premiere and lists McAfee among future guests (and as a producer); Variety says McAfee joins Goodell in the first episode.
Ari Emanuel person
Emanuel presents the show as a debate format where everyone has their own Rushmore, promising bigger debates and personalities in season two.
““Season Two turns up the volume with bigger debates, bigger personalities and even more people willing to tell us why we’re wrong.”” — The Hollywood Reporter
Rushmore (podcast) other
Rushmore is pitched as going beyond typical GOAT arguments to draw out stories and insights from top figures across fields.
“the idea behind “Rushmore” is to go beyond the typical GOAT (greatest of all time) arguments” — Variety
Left2 articles
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Fresh Off His Memoir, Ari Emanuel Is Bringing Back His Podcast for Season Two
Neutral Straightforward announcement tied to Emanuel's best-selling memoir, with guest list and origin-story quotes.
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Neutral Announcement with detailed schedule, season-one background and the memoir tie-in, mostly relaying the hosts' statements.
Centre0 articles
No coverage yet.
Right0 articles
No coverage yet.
- 13 Oct 17:22 First The Hollywood ReporterLC Fresh Off His Memoir, Ari Emanuel Is Bringing Back His Podcast for Season Two
- 13 Oct 20:34 +3h 11m VarietyLC Ari Emanuel and Ben Persky’s Podcast ‘Rushmore’ Returns for Season 2 With Guests Including Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld
Times are when each article was published, or when we first saw it if the outlet gave no time.
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