Reality imitated art in the Murdoch family last year when an episode of HBO’s Succession triggered a real-life reckoning over the future of Rupert Murdoch’s media empire. The acclaimed drama, which culminates with a right-wing media tycoon’s family grappling with the fallout of his death, reportedly prompted Murdoch’s children to reassess their own father’s succession plan.
In sealed testimony delivered in Reno, Nevada, in September, Murdoch and his four eldest children—Lachlan, James, Elisabeth, and Prudence—discussed how the episode spurred a flurry of private conversations. According to court documents obtained by The New York Times, the children began devising a public-relations strategy for their father’s eventual death after watching the fictional portrayal of chaos erupting within Logan Roy’s media dynasty.
The episode inspired Elisabeth Murdoch’s representative to the family trust, Mark Devereux, to write a “‘Succession’ memo.” The document, aimed at avoiding a real-life parallel to the show’s turmoil, marked the beginning of what would become a deeply contentious family feud. Murdoch, 93, had sought to ensure his eldest son Lachlan’s dominance over the empire by altering the Murdoch Family Trust to grant him “permanent” and “exclusive” control.
However, Murdoch’s efforts to shift voting power away from his more moderate children, James, Elisabeth, and Prudence, culminated in a legal challenge. Nevada commissioner Edmund J. Gorman Jr. ultimately blocked the changes, describing them as a “carefully crafted charade” and accusing Murdoch of acting in “bad faith.” Adam Streisand, Murdoch’s lawyer, confirmed they intend to appeal the decision.
The dispute is not believed to revolve around financial inheritance, as Murdoch’s plans would not reduce the wealth allocated to his children. Instead, the proposed changes would have shifted voting power away from his less conservative offspring, in what many see as an attempt to secure a right-wing agenda across the family’s influential media holdings. The legal battle underscores growing tensions within the Murdoch family over the direction of the media empire, which spans several continents and includes powerful outlets such as The Wall Street Journal and Fox News.
In a statement, James, Elisabeth, and Prudence welcomed the ruling, expressing hope that it would allow the family to focus on “strengthening and rebuilding relationships.” The trio’s more moderate political leanings stand in sharp contrast to their father and Lachlan’s right-wing stance, fueling speculation that the empire could shift editorially if control becomes shared.
