How Rupert Murdoch’s Succession Fight Became a Courtroom Thriller

Thanks to billionaire Rupert Murdoch’s outsize personality, his vast sway within the news industry and his role as a kingmaker in conservative politics, there’s long been heightened interest in his megadeals, his complicated family dynamics and the future of his media empire. The intrigue has ratcheted up in recent years thanks to HBO’s popular show, Succession, which was partially inspired by the Murdoch family. In real life, the drama surrounding the Murdochs has played out over several decades and across multiple continents — and another tense legal fight within the mogul’s own family has them back in the headlines yet again.

The question of who will take over Murdoch’s massive conservative media empire has resurfaced because of a court case that began Sept. 16 in Reno, Nevada. Murdoch, 93, has six children from three of his five marriages. His eldest child, Prudence, is from his first marriage, while Lachlan, Elisabeth and James, are from his second. Murdoch also has two daughters, Grace and Chloe, who are from his third marriage to businesswoman Wendi Deng.