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The Murdoch family’s private legal battle has now spilled into the public forum, with James Murdoch making explosive comments about both his media mogul dad Rupert and older brother Lachlan.
In scenes that could have been ripped straight from the hit drama series Succession, James, 52, gave a scathing interview to The Atlantic, detailing a long history of betrayal and dysfunction amid the legal battle over control of the family’s $66 billion media empire.
The article recalled a moment in the lead-up to the November 2024 case, when James faced a barrage of “withering” questions from his father’s lawyer. This included referencing James and his siblings as “white, privileged, multi-billionaire trust-fund babies” – only to realise, James alleges, that his father had been texting the questions to the lawyer from across the room.
“How f–king twisted is that?” James told The Atlantic.
James also claimed to the reporter that a recent spate of slanderous stories targeting him and his wife, Kathryn, could be traced back to sources associated with Rupert’s trusted inner circle.
Both Rupert and his protégé Lachlan disputed James’ points in the article, describing them as a “litany of falsehoods”.
The explosive comments are a huge break with convention for the normally intensely private family. But it’s also an indictment of how far relations have crumbled. James remains aligned with elder siblings Prudence, 67, and Elisabeth, 56, against Rupert, 93, and Lachlan, 53.
Real-life Succession drama
The fracture was laid bare when Rupert and Lachlan attempted to wrest control of the business by making changes to the family trust.
Prior to the court case, in November 2023, Rupert tried to implement ‘Project Family Harmony’, which would effectively grant eldest son Lachlan full control of the Murdoch empire after his death.
James and his sisters vehemently disputed this, with Elisabeth telling their father: “You are completely disenfranchising me and my siblings. You’ve blown a hole in the family.”
Yet Rupert still wanted to tear up the family trust, which had previously assured them all an equal stake in the control of Fox and News Corp after Rupert’s passing.
Instead, Rupert moved to ensure that Lachlan, who shares his father’s conservative values, couldn’t be outvoted 3-1 by his siblings.
Rupert had become convinced that under Lachlan’s sole leadership, his legacy would remain intact.
“These companies are my legacy,” Rupert has said. “I have put everything into them over my life.”
James and Kathryn had already publicly voiced their disdain over Murdoch-owned News Corp’s coverage on issues such as climate change and the recent US presidential election.
James resigned from the News Corp board in 2020. By the time of the legal battle over the family trust that played out in a Nevada courtroom last year, “James and Rupert had barely spoken in years,” The Atlantic article claimed.
In December 2024, a judge ruled against Rupert and Lachlan in the matter, although they plan to appeal.
