An interesting story leading on the OJ memoir.
In her discussion of the release of OJ’s ghost written memoir, If I Did It, Lionel Shriver mentions Juith Regan’s apology for publishing the book. Quite a character, it turns out. Ms Regan.
Judith Regan was fired for inappropriate behaviour (anti semitic rants), supposedly unconnected with the OJ book on 15 December 2006 (NY Times).
According to the notes, Regan was upset with her perceived lack of support from HarperCollins during the O.J. scandal last month (a claim that seems reasonable, given that HarperCollins CEO Jane Friedman won “Publisher of the Year” last week for her skill in “distancing” her publishing house from the distasteful event), and allegedly said this: “Of all people, the Jews should know about ganging up, finding common enemies and telling the big lie.” Regan then allegedly said that ICM literary agent Esther Newberg, HarperCollins’ executive editor David Hirshey, HarperCollins’ CEO Jane Friedman and lawyer Jackson constituted “a Jewish cabal against her.”
That’s it? Coming from a woman whose vituperative, graphic outbursts are legendary, that’s all she said? As her lawyer Bert Fields points out (but which was immediately to this writer upon reading):
“She did not make any remarks that a rational person would consider anti-Semitic,” he said. “What she said was that she was being destroyed in the press for something that wasn’t her fault, and that the Jewish people should understand more than anybody else what it is to be the victim of a big lie. If anybody considers that anti-Semitic, they should explain it to me
Eat the Press, Huffington Post, Rachel Sklar, 19 Dec 2006
However, not the kind to take things lying down she sued, makign allegations to the effect that she had been urged to deny an affair with a member of Giuliani’s praetorian guard at the by the boss of Fox News, Roger Ailes. She won a settlement of $10.75 million.
- Vanity Fair profile 2005
- Downfall, NY Times
- Jane Friedman, Regan’s nemesis
- long 2007 profile at NY Magazine
- from Michael Tomasky’s blog at The Guardian
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