The focus of the controversy revolves around Fox Nation’s 2022 series titled “The Trial of Hunter Biden,” comprising six episodes.
Fox Nation, the online platform of the conservative broadcaster owned by Rupert Murdoch’s family, aired the series, which presented a dramatized version of a criminal trial. The series carried a disclaimer indicating that the events depicted were fictional.
In the series, Hunter Biden is portrayed facing prosecution for corruption allegations, a narrative often advanced by supporters of Donald Trump based on Biden’s previous business involvements in Ukraine and China.
It’s important to note that despite these allegations, Hunter Biden has not faced any legal charges related to these claims.
The lawsuit claims that the series used real images of Biden, “depicting him in the nude, with exposed intimate parts, and engaged in sexual acts.” According to the complaint, “Fox published and disseminated these intimate images to its vast audience of millions as part of an entertainment program to humiliate, harass, annoy, and alarm Mr. Biden and to tarnish his reputation.”
Allegedly originating from a laptop left by Hunter Biden at a computer repair shop and subsequently abandoned, explicit images from its contents have circulated widely. They have fueled various conspiracy theories and proved a significant political liability for Biden.
Fox News however said in a statement; “This entirely politically motivated lawsuit is devoid of merit. Mr Biden did not complain about [it] until sending a letter in late April 2024. The programme was removed within days of the letter, in an abundance of caution. Consistent with the First Amendment, Fox News has accurately covered the newsworthy events of Mr Biden’s own making, and we look forward to vindicating our rights in court.”
