Rupert Murdoch's family reaches deal on who will control media empire
after his death
[September 09, 2025] By
DAVID BAUDER
Rupert Murdoch’s family has reached a deal on control of the 94-year-old
mogul’s media empire after his death, ensuring no change in direction at
Fox News, the most popular network for President Donald Trump and
conservatives.
The deal creates a trust establishing control of the Fox Corp. for
Lachlan Murdoch, Rupert’s chosen heir who has been running Fox in recent
years, along with his younger sisters, Grace and Chloe.
Lachlan Murdoch’s three older siblings, Prudence MacLeod, Elisabeth
Murdoch and James Murdoch, give up any claims to control of Fox in
exchange for stock currently valued at $3.3 billion, according to The
New York Times, which first reported news of the deal.
The new trust will be in place until 2050, according to terms of the
deal.
It ends a drama that has been like a real-life version of HBO’s
“Succession,” only with huge financial implications and an impact on
U.S. politics. Fox and its conservative opinion dominates news ratings,
at points this summer more popular than the general broadcast networks,
and is the go-to network for Trump and his team to spread news.
The court fight began when Rupert Murdoch and Lachlan sought to change
terms of an established trust that gave the mogul's four oldest children
equal say in control of his media holdings after his death. Prudence,
Elisabeth and James are known not to be as conservative as their father,
and the arrangement led to worries that they could force Lachlan out and
change Fox's direction after the patriarch's death.
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Rupert Murdoch arrives at the 11th Breakthrough Prize Ceremony on
April 5, 2025, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP,
File)
 The three siblings sued to block the
changes and won an initial ruling in a Nevada probate court. The
Nevada probate commissioner, Edmund J. Gordon Jr., said the attempt
to seize control represented a “carefully crafted charade” designed
to entrench Lachlan Murdoch's control.
Yet with appeals dragging on and the outcome uncertain,
representatives for Rupert Murdoch and his children met to hammer
out a deal to end the family bitterness, and it was announced late
Monday.
Lachlan's three older siblings have six months to sell any personal
holdings in Fox and have agreed to a long-term ban on acquiring
shares of Fox and News Corp. or taking any actions involving the
company, Fox said.
The bid to give Lachlan control of the trust was euphemistically
named “Project Family Harmony” and called James Murdoch the
“troublesome beneficiary,” according to sealed court papers obtained
by the Times. The case grew to involve dozens of lawyers, including
former Attorney General William Barr.
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