Author — Journalist — Investigator

About Shaun

Shaun Assael is an award-winning author, magazine writer, and producer. 

He’s also the author of four books: Wide Open, a chronicle of his life on the Nascar circuit; Sex Lies & Headlocks, the New York Times best-selling biography of Vince McMahon; Steroid Nation, which chronicles his decade-long reporting into America’s performance-enhancing drug underground; and The Murder of Sonny Liston, which re-examined the Las Vegas death of the heavyweight champion of the world.

In film, he co-executive produced Pariah, a feature documentary based on his Liston book, for Showtime. His most recent project is a three-part podcast about the life of Wilt Chamberlain, which he wrote and narrates. It will air on Amazon’s Wondery + platform beginning in Feb. 2024.

His latest book (scheduled for late 2024) is a true crime partnership with Dick Harpootlian, the South Carolina state senator and attorney for Alex Murdaugh. He continues to write for national magazines and consult on celebrity biographies.

Author
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Journalist
Wilt/Nixon

Wilt/Nixon

07.17.2024

I'm thrilled to make a return to Politico Magazine with this look back at the 1968 GOP Convention, and how Richard Nixon recruited an unlikely celebrity to woo Black voters. Wilt Chamberlain was pilloried for his embrace of Nixon. But more than fifty years later,...

Pariah: Official Trailer

Pariah: Official Trailer

Sonny Liston

Cranky Yankee Blogger

Bye Bye, Doll

Mar 23, 2025 | ,

This may sound morbid, but I really don't mean it that way... We are on this earth for a short time, and as Warren Zevon once said, you have to enjoy every sandwich. Zevon is among a very select group of artists who left us with great death albums. His disc, The Wind,...

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Interviews

The Botanist Is A Plant Podcast

Aug 18, 2021

Looking for a good 18th Century spy story? The wonderful folks at BYU’s Constant Wonder podcast (@cw_byu) gave me a half-hour to weave together the story of the legendary French naturalist Andre Michaux, who would have beaten Lewis & Clark to the Pacific if not for some amazing political intrigue involving Thomas Jefferson and a who’s who of quarrelsome Founding Fathers.

The podcast is adapted from my story in the new issue of Smithsonian Magazine.

Listen to “The botanist is a plant” here.

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News & Updates
Wilt/Nixon

I’m thrilled to make a return to Politico Magazine with this look back at the 1968 GOP Convention, and how Richard Nixon recruited the biggest baskebtall star in the world to woo Black voters.

Wilt Chamberlain was pilloried for his embrace of Nixon. But more than fifty years later, voters may be on the cusp of vindicating him.

Dept. of (my) History: The Last Lecture

I don’t usually write in memoir, but my dad’s retirement, at the age of 88, made me think about how the generations look differently at the concept, and whether it’s okay to retire 30 years before your father. Here, then, is a conversation full of questions and received wisdom …

Bye Bye, Doll

This may sound morbid, but I really don't mean it that way... We are on this earth for a short time, and as Warren Zevon once said, you have to enjoy every sandwich. Zevon is among a very select group of artists who left us with great death albums. His disc, The Wind,...

The Dept. of (my) History

Back in the day, Penthouse sent me to Las Vegas to interview Bodacious, the meanest rodeo bull who ever lived. I found him biding his time in a Home Depot parking lot. What could go wrong?

The Fast-Talking Billionaire

It’s not surprising that Greg Lindberg has his eyes on longevity. Accused of pilfering $2 billion from policyholders at his insurance companies, the 53-year-old faces being in jail until he’s 90. But that hasn’t dimmed his enthusiasm for his latest venture: Living forever through fasting.

The Botanist Is A Plant Podcast

Looking for a good 18th Century spy story? This podcast is based on my story in the July/August issue of Smithsonian Magazine.

READ MORE