Updated
2025-09-09T04:20:12Z
Rupert Murdoch’s succession drama reached a settlement this week.
The family announced a settlement over control of the trust that holds its stakes in Fox Corp and News Corp.
Meet Lachlan Murdoch, who will control his father’s assets after Rupert dies.
Rupert Murdoch’s succession drama reached a settlement this week.
The family announced a settlement over control of the trust that holds its stakes in Fox Corp and News Corp to cement Lachlan Murdoch’s control of his father’s assets when Rupert Murdoch dies.
Three of his siblings, James, Elisabeth, and Prudence, have been sidelined in exchange for billion-dollar payouts. James Murdoch, in particular, has been outspoken about his opposition to Fox News’ programming.
The dispute has been fought largely behind closed doors in a Nevada court, after Rupert Murdoch announced in September 2023 that he would step down from his roles at Fox Corporation and News Corp.
In a memo to employees, Murdoch said he will hand the reins to his son, Lachlan, who will take over as sole chairman of both companies.
In 2024, a judge ruled that Rupert and Lachlan had acted in “bad faith” in their bid to rewrite the trust.
Going forward, Lachlan and two younger sisters, Grace and Chloe, will have shares in a new trust that will have controlling stakes in both Fox Corp and News Corp. Only Lachlan will have voting power.
Lachlan, 51, was born in London in 1971. He was raised in New York with his older sister Elisabeth and younger brother James.
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According to a 1998 profile of Lachlan, he sometimes woke up before dawn as a child to have breakfast with his father before he left for business meetings.
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Growing up, Lachlan was educated at elite private schools like Trinity School in Manhattan, and Phillips Academy Andover in Massachusetts. He graduated from Aspen Country Day School in Colorado.
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He attended Princeton and studied philosophy.
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When Lachlan was 19, he went to London at his father’s request to observe the British Sky Broadcasting merger.
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After graduating from Princeton, Lachlan oversaw Murdoch media properties in Australia.
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In 1997, Lachlan became deputy chief operating officer at News Corp.
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Lachlan married Sarah O’Hare, a British-Australian model, in 1998. They have three children: Karan, Aidan, and Aerin.
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In 2005, Lachlan resigned from his role as deputy chief operating officer of News Corp amid reported tensions between company executives and his family.
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He moved back to Australia, where he launched the investment firm Illyria, through which he invested in media entities like Nova Entertainment, a radio station group.
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In 2014, after seeing some success and some failure after venturing out on his own, Murdoch returned to the family business as the non-executive co-chairman of both 21st Century Fox and News Corp.
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In 2016, Lachlan and his brother, James, worked together to oust Fox News cofounder Roger Ailes from the company after allegations of sexual harassment surfaced against Ailes.
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James and Lachlan, however, have had their differences. James has reportedly been critical of the ‘alternative reality’ that Fox News has created and his brother’s role in allowing it to persist. The brothers reportedly aren’t on speaking terms.
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In 2019, Disney acquired 21st Century Fox — the entertainment wing of the Murdoch media empire— for $71.3 billion. Lachlan became the chief executive of Fox Corp, a new entity that spun out of the deal that includes Fox News.
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Lachlan was reportedly not in favor of the Disney deal, and at the time of the deal, worried that it was rushed and undervalued the company’s assets.
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Rupert Murdoch netted $12 billion from the Disney deal and gave each of his six children $2 billion. Lachlan ultimately spent $150 million to buy the 25,000-square-foot Bel Air estate featured in The Beverly Hillbillies— the highest price in California history.
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In 2017, Lachlan paid $29 million for a large equestrian property in Aspen. Based on the property listing, luxury real estate listings site Mansion Global reported that the main home is a 13,500-square-foot property with six bedrooms. There is also a two-bedroom, two-bathroom guest house, a 300-bottle wine cellar, two outdoor kitchens, a gym, and an art gallery.
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Over the past few years, Lachlan has been leading Fox Corp. He worked remotely from Australia for a stretch of the pandemic.
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Lachlan also helmed Fox Corp through tumultuous news cycles and long defended the controversial remarks of Tucker Carlson, anchor of the primetime Fox News show, ‘Tucker Carlson Tonight.’
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But earlier this year, in a surprising turn of events, Fox News fired Carlson. The decision was jointly made by Lachlan and Fox News CEO Suzanne Scott, Insider’s Claire Atkinson confirmed.
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Lachlan’s net worth isn’t clear, but he received $21.7 million in total compensation as Fox Corporation CEO in 2022.
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