Rupert Murdoch's Children Mirror the 'Succession' Siblings in Real Life

It probably shouldn't come as a surprise that Rupert Murdoch's actual family feels a lot like the one we know so well from Succession. After all, the show takes direct inspiration from the media mogul's real life.

With news of Rupert's secretive decision to change his company's succession plan from all four of his oldest children to solely his eldest son Lachlan, per The New York Times, many are curious about the Murdoch family dynamics and how the siblings interact with their father. Here's everything we know about Rupert's six children.

Rupert Murdoch has six children from three different marriages. He's been married a total of four times and nearly tied the knot a fifth time with Ann Lesley Smith before calling it off. However, he did marry for a fifth time, to retired molecular biologist Elena Zhukova, in June 2024 at his Bel Air vineyard estate in Los Angeles, according to The New York Times.

Rupert had Prudence with his first wife, Patricia Booker; Elisabeth, Lachlan, and James with his second wife, Anna Mann dePeyster (née Torv); and Chloe and Grace with his third wife, Wendi Dang. He was also married to Jerry Hall.

Given the size of his family, it seems possible that any of Rupert's four eldest children could eventually step into his shoes, and there has been speculation about each of them at one point or another. That is until news broke in July 2024 that he is secretly trying to change the terms of his trust (more on that below).

Currently, Lachlan is in control of FOX after taking over as CEO in 2019. Despite the fact that he's 93 years old, though, Rupert still remains very much engaged in the family business.

In July 2024, The New York Times revealed that Rupert Murdoch is quietly trying to shift control of his family business from his four oldest children to just Lachlan. He reportedly began making moves in 2023, but after obtaining sealed court documents, the media outlet discovered he is attempting to pass the torch to one child rather than four.

Naturally, the other three — James, Elisabeth, and Prudence — were "caught completely off guard." A trial has reportedly been set for September 2024 to determine if Rupert's actions have been made in good faith.

According to Vanity Fair, Rupert believed that a Darwinian power struggle would be the best way to determine who should ultimately succeed him. "He pitted his kids against each other their entire lives. It's sad," a person close to the family explained.

That article states that Elisabeth was widely believed to be the smartest of the kids, but because she was a woman, Rupert never treated her all that seriously as a candidate.

Lachlan shares his father's right-wing politics, but Rupert has concerns about how laid back he is. James, meanwhile, was much more liberal, and while he seemed like the possible successor for a time, his politics ultimately meant that Lachlan wound up in the pole position.

Lachlan's destiny as CEO will ultimately be controlled by his three siblings, who will each inherit an extra vote on the board when their father dies (at least for now).

In April 2023, news broke that Fox News had settled its lawsuit with the Dominion voting systems for $787 million, a staggering sum that is likely to cause major issues for News Corp., the company that the Murdochs are still in charge of. It's unclear exactly where that money will be coming from, but it's a sharp rebuke to Rupert's approach to the news, which was designed to foment outrage above all else.

The settlement in the suit comes after damaging emails and text messages were released as part of discovery that showed that Fox News hosts knew they were lying about the election being stolen, even as they covered it regularly on their various shows.