Zimmer: Firing toxic top performers always makes the organization stronger
Jeremy Zimmer · Hollywood CEO: How to Look Powerful in Any Room | Jeremy Zimmer · Apr 9, 2026 · at 1:02:21
Jeremy Zimmer, co-founder and former CEO of United Talent Agency (UTA), explains the long-term cultural benefits of terminating toxic high earners despite the initial fear of losing clients.
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“Very successful, very toxic personalities, and every time we ultimately made the decision to get rid of those toxic personalities, we got better. Now there was always a period of insecurity where we were concerned, like, oh my God, we're gonna lose all these clients. Oh my God, this could be terrible. But then you would take a step back and then a bigger step forward. Because ultimately the culture of your organization, when you do something that says, I care about the culture of the organization more than the short term money, you reinforce your values and the people around you feel they can thrive. And that is really, really important.”
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