The Real Life Ari Gold From ‘Entourage' Finally Joins Exclusive Club
On the heels of rumblings that Entourage might, finally, get a reboot, there's news centered around the inspiration behind the show's most iconic character.
Hardcore Entourage fans will vividly remember that super agent Ari Gold's childhood dream was to become an NFL owner. He had a golden opportunity in season 7 after he tried -- and failed -- to sell the NFL's media rights, but it wasn't all bad news.
In one of his most superb cameos, Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones delivered the bad news to Ari Gold over the phone before inviting him to put together an expansion proposal that would see the NFL return to Los Angeles.
In Season 7 of Entourage, Ari Gold was obsessed with bringing an NFL team back to Los Angeles.
— Johnny Drama Chase (@JohnnyDramaChas) May 20, 2026
Fast forward to real life and the man Ari was based on - Ari Emanuel - just bought a football team himself.
The line between Entourage and reality keeps getting blurrier. From… https://t.co/UrKhan73R0pic.twitter.com/KFWNBESFEm
As fans know by now, Ari Gold's NFL ownership plans were completely derailed following his very public meltdown during dinner at a popular restaurant, where he berated his nemesis, Amanda Daniels. That, coupled with explosive recordings obtained by DeadlineHollywood, which purported to show Ari Gold as a maniacal boss with absolutely zero filter, ruined any chances of him becoming an NFL owner.
Nearly two decades after that episode premiered on HBO, the real-life Ari Gold is finally an NFL owner.
For the uninitiated, the Ari Gold character is loosely based on Ari Emanuel, the powerhouse agent and CEO of William Morris Endeavor Group, whose negotiation skills are unrivaled.
Emanuel, the brother of former Mayor of Chicago and President Barack Obama's one-time White House Chief of Staff, Rahm Emanuel, is a power player in Hollywood, whose tentacles now reach the highest echelons in sports.
In addition to running WME, Emanuel is also CEO and executive chairman of TKO Group Holdings, which owns the UFC and WWE. As if that wasn't enough, Emanuel is now a minority owner of the Las Vegas Raiders.
Related: Is 'Entourage' Getting a Reboot? If So, 'It Can't Be the Same Thing'
Variety reported that Emanuel and fellow WME and TKO Group executive Mark Shapiro are buying small ownership stakes in the Raiders.
A spokesperson for Emanuel and Shapiro told Variety that they "will take individual, personal stakes in the Raiders," and that "the deal, expected to close later this month, will see them become minority owners in the team."
The outlet reports that Mark Davis will remain a controlling shareholder of the team. The list of minority owners, of course, also includes Tom Brady.
The Raiders are a hot team right now with hopes of finally climbing out of the AFC West cellar, after landing the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, which the team used to select a generational talent in QB Fernando Mendoza.
This story was originally published by Men's Journal on May 20, 2026, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Men's Journal as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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This story was originally published May 20, 2026 at 11:40 AM.