A version of this story first appeared in the Nov. 20 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. To receive the magazine, click here to subscribe.
Don’t be too surprised if CBS’ Madam Secretary ousts a key character this season. Kathrine Herzer, the actress who plays Tea Leoni‘s teen daughter on Madam Secretary, is the real-life offspring of Manuela Herzer, Redstone’s longtime companion (or, rather, ex-companion; she was ejected from the 92-year-old mogul’s Beverly Park mansion in October).
Redstone once famously suggested Viacom’s MTV air the reality series The Electric Barbarellas, centered on his female friend Heather Naylor, who later claimed in a lawsuit the show was canceled when her relationship with Redstone fizzled. Could Herzer’s daughter suffer a similar fate? CBS and Herzer’s reps declined to comment.
As for the lawsuit, it was quietly declared over in April. But that doesn’t mean the drama in Redstone’s life is over. His mental competency could be challenged because Herzer has recently retained a lawyer, Pierce O’Donnell, who tells THR that “we are monitoring this fluid situation on a daily basis,” in reference to the mogul’s health and care, which is now being overseen by his family.
