The Murdoch family saga has taken yet another explosive turn, with the aging media titan Rupert Murdoch at the center of a bitter and very public battle over the future of his sprawling News Corp empire. As of February 24, 2025, the latest twist in this real-life Succession drama has seen Rupert’s carefully laid plans to hand control to his eldest son, Lachlan, torpedoed by a Nevada court—and his own children are tearing each other apart in the fallout. CGN Network dives into the mess, exposing the dysfunction that’s threatening to sink one of America’s most powerful conservative media dynasties.
The Courtroom Collapse
It all kicked off late last year when a Nevada probate commissioner, Edmund Gorman, delivered a stinging 96-page ruling on December 7, 2024, rejecting Rupert’s bid to amend his family trust. The 93-year-old mogul had sought to rewrite the “irrevocable” agreement—set up in 1999 during his divorce from Anna Torv—to cement Lachlan’s control over News Corp and Fox Corp after his death. Under the current terms, voting power splits equally among his four eldest kids: Lachlan, James, Elisabeth, and Prudence. Rupert and Lachlan argued this change was vital to preserve the empire’s conservative bent—think Fox News, The Wall Street Journal, and The Australian—claiming the other siblings might soften its edge.
Gorman didn’t buy it. He blasted Rupert and Lachlan for acting in “bad faith,” calling their scheme a “carefully crafted charade” to lock in Lachlan’s dominance “regardless of the impacts” on the companies or beneficiaries. The ruling, first leaked by The New York Times on December 9, was a gut punch to Rupert’s legacy—and the hits keep coming.
Family Feud Goes Nuclear
Since the decision, the Murdoch clan has descended into open warfare. James Murdoch, 52, once the heir apparent who bolted from News Corp in 2020 over its climate denialism and election lies, dropped a bombshell in a rare Atlantic interview on February 17, 2025. He branded his father a “misogynist” and Fox News a “menace” to democracy, exposing decades of resentment. James recounted a brutal legal grilling where Rupert allegedly fed “withering” questions to his lawyer via text—like calling his kids “white, privileged, multibillionaire trust-fund babies”—all while sitting silently across the room. “You’ve blown a hole in the family,” James reportedly told his siblings after the court loss, per posts on X.
Lachlan, 53, the current CEO of Fox Corp and sole chair of News Corp, isn’t backing down. Sources say he’s dug in, eyeing a buyout of his siblings’ shares to maintain his grip—an idea floated in The Guardian as a desperate last play. Meanwhile, Elisabeth and Prudence, often sidelined in the succession stakes, are poised to wield their votes, potentially aligning with James to shift the empire’s direction. The stakes? A media juggernaut controlling 41% of News Corp’s votes with just 14% ownership, thanks to its dual-class stock structure.
The Conservative Fortress at Risk
For CGN viewers, the real worry is what this means for the conservative voice Rupert built. He told the court, per The Atlantic, that “Fox and our papers are the only faintly conservative voices against the monolithic liberal media,” a mission he sees as “vital to the future of the English-speaking world.” Lachlan shares that vision—James and Elisabeth, less so. James has hinted at reining in Fox News post-Rupert, telling Fortune on February 17 he’d move fast if given the chance, a prospect that’s got Trump supporters on edge. X posts scream alarm: “Lachlan’s progressive? We’re doomed if James takes over!”
This isn’t just family drama—it’s a threat to the media empire that’s shaped Republican politics for decades. Fox News pulled 10 million viewers on election night 2024, per The Guardian, a cash cow Rupert fears could be tamed by his “moderate” kids.
Disney’s Stumble, Murdoch’s Fumble
Disney’s recent woes—like the Snow White flop tied to Rachel Zegler’s controversies—offer a stark contrast. Where Disney’s stuck with a divisive star, Murdoch’s empire faces implosion from within. The Nevada ruling isn’t final—Rupert’s lawyer, Adam Streisand, vowed to appeal—but the damage is done. News Corp’s stock ticked up 3.5% after selling Foxtel in December, per Reuters, yet analysts warn the succession mess could tank shareholder value. Activist hedge funds like Starboard Value, which lost a November 2024 bid to ditch the dual-class structure, are circling, smelling blood.
What’s Next?
Rupert’s running out of time. At 93, his health’s a wildcard, and the trust fight could drag on. Lachlan’s allies—like News Corp CEO Robert Thomson, who crowed about Trump’s win lifting the “yoke of woke” on February 6—stand firm, but the siblings’ rift might paralyze decision-making. The Guardian predicts a “bumpy road” for investors, while The Saturday Paper muses the empire could “go bang.” For CGN’s audience, this is a wake-up call: the conservative media fortress Trump leaned on might not survive Rupert’s exit intact.
Stay locked on CGN Network as we track this unfolding saga—because when the Murdoch dynasty cracks, the shockwaves hit us all.