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After media mogul Rupert Murdoch abruptly divorced his fourth wife, Jerry Hall, last summer, his team got to work on the settlement — including a ban on giving story ideas to the writers of "Succession," according to a new report from Vanity Fair.
The report comes amid ongoing turmoil within the Murdoch family in selecting a successor to News Corporation, the multi-billion dollar media company created and led by Murdoch, now 91. With Murdoch reportedly in declining health and the future of the company uncertain, the two sons from Murdoch's second marriage — Lachlan and James — have continued to tussle for control of the media empire.
The Murdoch family largely served as inspiration for the HBO hit show "Succession." Now in its fourth and final season, the show chronicles media conglomerate Waystar Royco, controlled by the Roy family and led by aging patriarch, Logan. In the show, Logan's three children — Kendall, Roman, and Siobhan — wrestle for the reins of their father's media company.
According to a source speaking to Vanity Fair, Lachlan Murdoch, 51, told his father that his brother, James, 50, was leaking stories to "Succession" writers. Lachlan's camp has denied making the claim to his father.
The leak claim appears to have surfaced after a source told Vanity Fair that Rupert Murdoch asked his son, James, to attend his 90th birthday party, but the younger Murdoch skipped it — closely resembling a plotline in the first episode of "Succession's" current season.
In the episode, the Roy children skip Logan's birthday party after their presence is requested, instead plotting a revenge business deal against their father.
It is unclear if the alleged birthday party incident inspired the divorce settlement term. Representatives for Murdoch and Hall did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.
"Succession" also has notably drawn inspiration from real events involving Rupert Murdoch, such as a scene earlier this season in which Logan stands atop several boxes and delivers a rousing speech in the middle of the fictional ATN newsroom. In 2007, Murdoch stood on similar boxes to address the Wall Street Journal newsroom.
As part of the divorce settlement, Hall – a former actor and model who previously partnered with Mick Jagger and has four children with the rocker — received her and Murdoch's homes in Oxfordshire, England, and the south of France, as well as an undisclosed cash sum, The Guardian reported.
