News Corp executive Lachlan Murdoch has flown into Australia with the media empire’s new signing Piers Morgan for private power meetings.
New recruit Morgan stepped off a private jet in Sydney last night ahead of starting his new show on Fox Nation and Sky News Australia, due to launch this autumn.
Morgan and Murdoch celebrated his big money deal – rumoured to be worth a staggering $160million – with a cocktail during a brief stopover in Hawaii.
Morgan, 56, posted a picture of himself enjoying a 1am Mai Tai on the tarmac in Honolulu, Hawaii.
With his new venture, Morgan has vowed to wage war on ‘cancel culture’ on his new daily show which will be broadcast in the US, UK and Australia.
Latest star-signing Piers Morgan (pictured) joined his new boss for the flight and was spotted first off the jet ahead of starting his new show on Fox Nation
News Corp chief Lachlan Murdoch (pictured) flew back into Australia with an entourage of media heavy-hitters when his private jet touched down in Sydney
Piers Morgan celebrated his big money deal – rumoured to be worth a staggering $160million – with a cocktail during a brief stopover in Hawaii
He’ll get a taste of life Down Under on this week’s trip and is re-uniting with the Murdochs after he first started working with them in 1988 on The Sun in the UK before later becoming editor of The News of the World.
Murdoch, 50, moved back to Australia last year with his family – ex-model wife Sarah, 48, and their sons Kalan Alexander, 16, Aidan Patrick, 14, and daughter Aerin Elisabeth, 10.
The News Corp co-chairman and Fox chief executive moved to the USA in the early 2000s and owns property in Los Angeles and Aspen, Colorado.
The family returned last March in what was initially said to be a short-term stay but is now said to be more permanent.
They are now intending to remain in Sydney for ‘years, not months’, with their children enrolled in nearby school as they settle back into local life.
Lachlan Murdoch, 50, (pictured) moved back to Australia last year with his family – ex-model wife Sarah, 48, and their sons Kalan Alexander, 16, Aidan Patrick, 14, and daughter Aerin Elisabeth, 10
Piers Morgan, 56, (pictured) has vowed to wage war on ‘cancel culture’ on his new daily show which will be broadcast in the US, UK and Australia
While no reason was given for the family’s return to Australia, a report claimed that it was the political climate in the US that helped make the decision for the family to leave LA in favour of their Sydney home.
A source said: ‘The school communities here are very close knit, and it extends into the wider families and the circles and parties they all go to. That Hollywood set is very pro-Democratic.
‘They are mostly big fundraisers for Biden, so you can imagine how well it went down when one of their classmates’ dads is at the helm of the biggest anti-Biden machine in the country.’
Despite having based their life in Los Angeles for years, the couple always maintained their Bellevue Hill mansion Le Manoir in Sydney’s Eastern Suburbs, which hosted the Murdochs’ glittering Christmas party for local big hitters.
Morgan and Murdoch were joined by others on the private jet
Several people were part of the Murdoch party on the private jet from Los Angeles to Sydney with a brief refuelling stop over in Honolulu
But now he will be playing host to new recruit Morgan who returns to TV screens in his first regular role since walking off the set of the UK’s Good Morning Britain.
He quit the show after falling out with other hosts over his criticism of Meghan Markle in the wake of the Oprah Winfrey interview with Prince Harry and her.
Now he intends to use his platform on Fox to challenge woke society and fight back against cancel culture.
‘Rupert Murdoch has been a constant and fearless champion of free speech and we are going to be building something new and very exciting together,’ Morgan said about his new show.
Lachlan Murdoch and wife Sarah (pictured) were the hosts of the A-list Christmas event at their Bellevue Hill in sydney’s Eastern Suburbs
Sharri Markson, Sky News host and journalist at The Australian, added colour and glamour to the glittering Christmas party
Billionaire Atlassian founder Scott Farquhar arrives at Xmas drinks with his wife Kim Jackson
Sky CEO Paul Whittaker was among the guests at the Newscorp Christmas party, as was Newscorp stalwart Col Allan, the former New York Post and Daily Telegraph editor
‘I want my global show to be a fearless forum for lively debate and agenda-setting interviews, and a place that celebrates the right of everyone to have an opinion, and for those opinions to be vigorously examined and challenged.’
Murdoch added: ‘Piers is the broadcaster every channel wants but is too afraid to hire. Piers is a brilliant presenter, a talented journalist and says what people are thinking and feeling.’
The show – being filmed daily in London – is part of a massive deal that will see the show broadcast on Fox Nation in the US, TalkTV in the UK and Sky News in Australia.
Morgan will also write columns for Murdoch newspapers globally, present a series of true crime documentaries and includes a book deal with Murdoch-owned HarperCollins.
The journalist was last on US screens daily when he replaced Larry King on CNN in 2011 during a controversial stint that ended three years later when his show Piers Morgan Tonight was cancelled.
Pictured: The Murdoch’s palatial home Le Manoir in Sydney’s east. Party host Lachlan Murdoch is the co-chairman of Sky’s parent company News Corp
Sky News presenter Peter Stefanovic and Sky First Edition presenter Laura Jayes were also on the Christmas guest list
Sky News stalwarts Chris Kenny (left) and Paul Murray (right) arrived for the Christmas bash at Bellevue Hill
