Jeremy Murphy Shares The Stories Behind His New Book, Too Good To Fact Check!

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As the longtime EIC of the now-defunct Watch magazine, Jeremy Murphy has worked with some of the biggest stars in the world and has tales to tell! His latest book, Too Good to Fact Check, explores the ups and downs and often humorous adventures he experienced along the way with his trademark tongue-in-cheek view. He tells The Daily about this unique peek inside the world of celebrity.

Why is the book called Too Good to Fact Check?
It’s a phrase I learned when I wrote my last book, F**k Off, Chloe! A tabloid ran a big story saying it was a scandalous tell-all, which was farcical. It’s a humor book about media and woke-ism. I found the writer and confronted him and he said, “Darling, it was too good to fact-check.” My anger dissolved to humor—best phrase ever. When I started this book, it stayed with me. Too Good to Fact Check is filled with stories that seem unbelievable, but it’s all true. That’s the irony.

Refresh us on your stint at Watch. What were your duties, and what was the mag for the unfamiliar?
I came up with the idea in 2005 of a magazine giving TV stars the Vanity Fair treatment and pitched it up the chain. It began in earnest in January 2006 and ran to 2022. I was the editor-in-chief and ran the magazine for a decade. Our niche was getting your favorite stars from TV and taking them to glamorous destinations like Paris, London, Milan, the south of France, and everywhere else. The glossies were ignoring TV, so we filled the gap.

Why did you want to put all these adventures into a book?
Originally, I didn’t! After the first book, I was exhausted and swore I’d never do it again. Nine months later, I’d inevitably get the question “What’s next?” I didn’t know I was an author now. At the same time, a colleague suggested all the stories I’d tell in bars and private settings would make a great book and put me in touch with Post Hill Press. A week later I had a contract.

Who are some of the celebrities featured in the book?
Celine Dion, Hugh Grant, Harrison Ford, LL Cool J, Neil Patrick Harris, Julianna Margulies.

You’ve interviewed everyone in the biz and worked with famed photographer Patrick Demarchelier. Did anyone ever make you starstruck?
Julianna [Margulies] is more beautiful than you can imagine—and nice. She has a star presence that leaps off the camera, but she was fun. We worked nine years to get her and finally brought her to the south of France to shoot at the Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc.

Matt Czuchry, Jeremy Murphy, Ellen von Unwerth, and Archie Panjabi

Did you worry about pissing anyone off, and what kind of stories were off-limits for you to write about?
A little. The people I didn’t want to piss off are disguised with blind items. The irony of the book is that I was worse behaved than the celebrities. I didn’t get into the machinations of the parent company [CBS] or any other media company.

Jeremy Murphy, Patrick Demarchelier

What are some of the biggest shockers we’ll find in the book?
The most outrageous anecdotes are about me. I was out of control and set a hotel room on fire, started bar fights, got banned by the King Cole Bar at the St. Regis, and even drunkenly sang the “Nightline” theme song to Ted Koppel. I often joke, “If security wasn’t called, we weren’t there.”

What experience do you look back on and think “I can’t believe that happened!”?
I had a young guy who worked for me get arrested on a commercial flight to Paris. He took a sleep med and started to sleepwalk, and it went downhill from there. Luckily, it was Paris; I think he got a glass of wine and cigarette after. I covered that up so no one ever heard, at least officially. The other shocker was getting a $5,000 invoice from a hairstylist for a star that had no hair.

Lara Spencer, Jeremy Murphy, and the team at The Breakers Palm Beach

Who is the ideal reader for Too Good to Fact Check?
Someone with a sense of humor. It’s written tongue-in-cheek, and I make fun of myself more than anyone. It’s a retrospective of a time in publishing that no longer exists. So if you’re curious about the inner working of glossy magazines, TV, and celebrity, this is for you.

What do you want people to take away from the book?
Don’t wait for something to happen; do it yourself. I wouldn’t have had this extraordinary life if I didn’t envision the magazine and pitch it. Also, if you inevitably f**k it up, have fun doing it. Life is too short.

Allison Janney, Jeremy Murphy, Anna Faris

You had the vision to mix fashion and celebrity into the pages of Watch. Why was that important to you?
We were going against TV Guide and Entertainment Weekly, and we needed differentiation. We needed something unique that they weren’t doing. At the same time I’d read Vogue, Elle, Vanity Fair and see all these movies stars doing glamour shoots, but rarely people on TV. The actors were being ignored, even though their shows were watched by 20 or 30 million viewers. We applied the formula to them, hired photographers like Patrick Demarchelier, top writers, artists, and applied the same rarefied lens, which became our signature.

Murphy with the case of “the Big Bang Theory”

You’ve co-written the book with Sophia Paulmier, who contributes in a unique way. Tell us about the Q&A interviews she does with you and why you decided to go that route.
When I started writing, I realized the celebrity anecdotes were a bit hollow; they had no heart. Also, my memory was foggy; it was years ago, and there’s a lot. Sophia is a writer I met randomly, and we became friends. I knew she’d remind me of everything I’d forgotten just by asking questions. She’d challenge me on some of the decisions I had made, which I thought was bold. Her questions were tough and fun. I decided her Q&As would be great at the end of every chapter.

Jeremy Murphy, Fran Lebowitz

Books get turned into movies! Who would play the role of Jeremy Murphy in a film?
Yikes, that’s a tough one. I guess Brad Pitt and George Clooney have aged out. I think Nicholas Hoult would do me justice. He’d have to gain a few pounds!

What else is going on with you?
I started screenwriting! James Brolin is producing my first project, House of Medici, with his manager Scott Hart. And I’m working with Faith Zuckerman, a veteran of the agency world, PR, and marketing. She’s involved in everything I’m doing, and I’m happy she is. I’m the antithesis of organized! 

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