Would there be television, if it weren't for Milton Berle? It’s a legitimate question because, in its heyday, Berle’s Texaco Star Theater was so popular that it doubled the number of TVs in American homes. It also brought Berle to superstardom and all of its traps, including divorces and womanizing. Berle’s story is proof that sometimes, stars who seem charming and loveable on-screen are hiding the most twisted demons of all.
America knew him as the loveable Uncle Miltie—but behind the scenes, Milton Berle was a truly demented man. His darkest secrets came to light in 1999, when his son William released a tell-all memoir.
William aired his displeasure in his book, and he seemed to enjoy poking fun at his father as he aged, calling him “a pathetic has-been". He even described the layers of makeup Berle hid behind as he got older.
Berle never spoke to his son again after the book's publication, and his reputation was still forever tarnished by the revelations in those pages.
