Succession Drama: How Rupert Murdoch picked son Lachlan as heir

“No, it’s going to be Lachlan.” That was the reply Rupert Murdoch made to Donald Trump – then the President of the United States – who expressed his concern that Fox News would become ‘too liberal’ after James Murdoch took over. James, at that time, was widely seen as the heir apparent to Rupert. Rupert’s reply was reported in New York Times reporter Maggie Haberman’s 2022 book Confidence Man. It was one of the first times the billionaire and media tycoon gave voice to his succession plan. And so it has come to pass. Rupert on Thursday in a stunning development announced that he was stepping down as chairman of Fox Corp and News Corp – and that Lachlan would indeed take his place. But what do we know about Lachlan? And what of the high-stakes drama that accompanied Rupert’s plans to pass down the reigns of his company – said to be the model, at least in part, for the HBO prestige TV series Succession? Let’s take a closer look: Who is Lachlan? Lachlan, to steal a phrase from Succession, is ‘the eldest boy’.

The 52-year-old is Rupert’s son from his second wife Anna Maria dePeyster.

As per PA Media, Lachlan was born in 1971 in Wimbledon. Lachlan grew up in New York City and studied at Massachusetts school Phillips Academy, as per Hello Magazine. He would receive his degree in philosophy from Princeton. As per BBC, Lachlan’s thesis as a senior on German philosophy began with a quote from Lord Byron. Lachlan rose to executive ranks of the family business, then known collectively as News Corp, in the 1990s and early 2000s. While serving as deputy chief operating officer from 2000 to 2005, his titles also included chairman of Fox Television Stations and publisher of the New York Post. According to CNN, Lachlan departed his father’s businesses after a fight with former top executive Roger Ailes about Fox’s direction in 2005. Ailes wanted to be the top dog at Fox News, but Lachlan said no. [caption id=“attachment_13155442” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Lachlan Murdoch departed his father’s empire for a decade after a battle over Fox News. Reuters[/caption] After his father sided with Ailes, Lachlan felt betrayed. “I have to do my own thing,” he is said to have told his father. During Lachlan’s long hiatus from the family business, he founded the private investment company Illyria Pty.

A New York Magazine piece from the time would label Lachlan “the boy who wouldn’t be king”.

“When he left he was determined not to ever go back to his father’s company,” Paddy Manning, an Australian journalist who wrote a biography of Lachlan, told BBC. But Lachlan would eventually return to the fold a decade later in 2015 – as executive chairman of 21st Century Fox. His brother, James, was CEO of Fox’s then-entertainment business in what analysts described as a competitive power-share concocted by their father. Lachlan has been Fox Corp CEO since 2019 – after Rupert closed a historic deal with Disney to sell off 21st Century Fox. Lachlan is set to become News Corp. chairman and continue as chief executive officer of Fox Corp., home to conservative news network Fox News, the Fox broadcast and sports networks, and local TV stations. As per Hello Magazine, James is married to Sarah – an actress. They and their children – sons Kalan and Aidan and daughter, Aerin – all live in Los Angeles. Inside Rupert’s succession drama In order to understand the succession drama, it is necessary to take a brief look at James. James, who is also among the children from Rupert’s second marriage, is Lachlan’s younger brother. James in 1995 dropped out of Harvard University to develop a record label. The company, Rawkus Records, was eventually bought by News Corp, according to several news reports.

Less than two years apart in age, the pair were said to be fiercely competitive as children.

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A Vanity Fair piece said Rupert has long been obsessing over the question of who will succeed him – a question he posited to solve through a ‘Darwinian struggle’. “He pitted his kids against each other their entire lives. It’s sad,” a person close to the family was quoted as saying in the piece. As per a 2019 New York Times Magazine piece, the brothers had over the years alternated between playing the “heir apparent and jilted son” However, some contend that Rupert always had his heart set on his eldest son for his heir. “It was no secret to those close to the family that Murdoch had always favoured Lachlan,” the New York Times Magazine article stated. The Vanity Fair piece said Lachlan and Rupert had much in common – right-wing politics, a love for newspapers and Australia. “Lachlan was the golden child,” a person close to the family told the outlet. A person close to James described Lachlan’s return to his father’s side in 2014 as a “big slap in the face”. [caption id=“attachment_13157652” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Known as the liberal Murdoch brother, James Murdoch is said to have given hundreds of thousands of dollars to the campaign of Joe Biden. AP[/caption] In the years following, James served as CEO of Star India, CEO of Sky (then British Sky Broadcasting) and chairman of Sky. James was embroiled in the 2011 News of the World phone hacking scandal along with his father, but both Murdochs denied responsibility. In addition to his time as CEO at 21st Century Fox, James held various executive positions at News. Corp over the years, but later resigned from family-controlled publisher’s board over content appearing in its newspapers, which include the Wall Street Journal and the New York Post. In his 2020 resignation, James — known as the more liberal Murdoch brother — said he stepped down “due to disagreements over certain editorial content published by the company’s news outlets and certain other strategic decisions.” James had previously criticized News Corp’s editorial decisions and said he disagreed with Fox News coverage. As per BBC, James is said to have donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to Joe Biden’s campaign. Some say James is the inspiration for the character of Kendall Roy in the TV show Succession. Jeremy Strong, the actor who played Kendall Roy, in a New Yorker profile admitted to mimicking James’s habit of tying his shoelaces extremely tight in order to channel his “inner tensile strength”. What happens next? Paolo Pescatore, an industry expert from PP Foresight, told PA Media dramatic changes were not likely – not anytime soon at least. “Lachlan’s first job will be to manage this transition as smoothly and seamlessly as possible to ensure no instability,” Pescatore said. “Regardless, big boots to fill and it is never easy given the empire created. However, (it is) still paramount to have Rupert in your corner. “It is too early to say what the future holds and unclear what direction the company will take under Lachlan’s stewardship. “In the short term there should not be any drastic changes given he has been heavily involved for some time. However, he will want to cement his own position and create his own legacy.” The BBC quoted from a Lachlan biography as saying that his politics are said to share “a kind of philosophical bent” with ex-Fox News host Tucker Carlson. [caption id=“attachment_12507612” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Tucker Carlson has embraced some conspiracy theories, particularly surrounding the 6 January, 2021 insurrection at the US Capitol. AP[/caption] The book also alleges it was Lachlan who took the call not to broadcast live US Congressional hearings into January 2021 riot at the Capitol.

However, unlike his father, Lachlan “does not see himself as a kingmaker”.

Instead, he “sees his role as determining strategy for the business, and keeping an eye on the bottom line", as per the book. But Lachlan would do well to keep one eye over his shoulder. The Vanity Fair piece, noting the difference between obtaining the throne and keeping it, said his future is in the hands of his siblings Lachlan, Elisabeth and Prudence – who are all on the board of the trust that controls their company. Rupert has four votes. After his passing, all his votes will be split equally between his children – all of whom already have a vote. “The question is, when Rupert dies, how are the kids aligned?” a former News Corp executive wondered to Vanity Fair. The brothers, meanwhile, are said to be no longer on speaking terms. As per Vanity Fair, James is appalled by Fox News’ climate denialism, white nationalism, and stolen election conspiracies. However, if James wants to engineer a palace coup, he needs the backing of Elisabeth and Prudence – which is no sure thing.

An ex-News Corp executive described James as a ‘lone wolf’.

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It is also important to note that Rupert continues to loom large over his empire. The 92-year-old billionaire will continue to influence both Fox News and News Corp from his position as chairman emeritus on both boards. Recent history shows that might be a tricky thing. In 2020, then Disney CEO Bob Iger – who had delayed vacating his own throne several times – finally bit the bullet and handed over day-to-day control to his handpicked successor Bob Chapek. Like Murdoch, Iger did not go away entirely but stuck around as executive chairman – to oversee the behemoth he’d built over the past two decades and ostensibly smooth Chapek’s path. The next two years saw a bitter battle for control between the two men which ended in November 2022 with Chapek being unceremoniously fired by the Disney board and Iger returning to his long-held role as CEO. With inputs from agencies