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Rupert Murdoch himself endorsed the outcome, saying it would preserve the network’s legacy as the “protector of the conservative voice in the English-speaking world.”
The 94-year-old Murdoch remains a towering figure in media history. From his early days with an Australian newspaper to launching Fox News in 1996, Murdoch reshaped American politics and culture with a network that became the dominant voice for conservative values.
Under the settlement, each of Rupert Murdoch’s other children will receive $1.1 billion for their stake in the empire, according to sources who spoke with The New York Times. The existing family trust will be dissolved, and the payouts reportedly equal about 80% of the value of Fox and News Corp stock as of last Friday’s market close.
Going forward, a newly formed Murdoch family trust will emerge, including Lachlan and his two younger sisters, Grace and Chloe. This trust will retain controlling ownership of Fox Corporation and News Corp — the dual media pillars of the Murdoch dynasty.
For now, little will change inside the company’s executive offices. Lachlan has been running operations for several years already, ever since Rupert Murdoch stepped back from day-to-day management in November 2023.
What makes this settlement especially significant is that it gives everyone in the Murdoch clan something they wanted. Prue, Liz, and James, all known for their more liberal views, had long been eager to distance themselves from a network whose politics they rarely agreed with. The deal finally gives them that break — and at a price far higher than previous buyout offers.
The responsibility now falls squarely on Lachlan to keep Fox News dominant in a rapidly changing media environment. With podcasts, online outlets, and conservative aggregators growing fast, he faces a new kind of competition his father never had to worry about.
But for now, the Murdoch empire remains intact — and firmly in the hands of Lachlan Murdoch.
