Fox Nation Drops ‘The Trial of Hunter Biden’ Miniseries After Threats of Legal Action
The show has been available since 2022, and the streamer said it made the decision out of ‘an abundance of caution.’
If you haven’t caught “The Trial of Hunter Biden” on Fox Nation since its 2022 release, it appears you’re out of luck. TVNewser has confirmed that the mock trial miniseries focused on the alleged crimes of the president’s son is no longer available on the streamer, having been pulled after threats of a lawsuit from Biden’s legal team.
Key Details:
- Biden’s team is reportedly planning a lawsuit against Fox over alleged defamation.
- The series includes sexually explicit images of Biden that his lawyers have characterized as “revenge porn.”
- Fox has called the series “constitutionally protected coverage,” but removed it as it prepares for a potential legal battle.
“The Trial of Hunter Biden” was a “what-if” series hosted by Judge Joe Brown. The series lays out alleged financial improprieties committed by Biden and then stages a mock trial to show viewers what it might be like if those issues were ever laid before a judge in court.
The program reportedly included sexually explicit images of Hunter Biden with various women, which is at the heart of objections from Biden’s team. An April 23 letter written by Biden’s lawyers to Fox News executives who oversee the stream, characterized the images as “revenge porn,” and demanded the show be removed from Fox Nation’s library. Revenge porn is illegal in the state of New York where Fox News’ headquarters are.
“’[The Trial of Hunter Biden]’ unlawfully published and continues to publish intimate images of Mr. Biden depicting him in the nude as well as engaged in sex acts in violation of the majority of states’ laws against the nonconsensual disclosure of sexually explicit images and videos,” the letter reads.
Does a Lawsuit Pose a Threat to Fox Nation?
Biden’s quarrels with Fox go far beyond “The Trial of Hunter Biden,” as his legal team’s April 23 letter makes clear. It also accuses the company of “conspiracy and subsequent actions to defame Mr. Biden and paint him in a false light, the unlicensed commercial exploitation of his image, name, and likeness, and the unlawful publication of hacked intimate images of him.”
There’s little chance that a lawsuit would derail the Fox Nation platform, however. The company has responded to Biden’s demands by removing the series “out of an abundance of caution,” and Fox executives appear ready to stand behind First Amendment protections if a defamation lawsuit is ever filed by Biden’s team.
“Hunter Biden’s lawyers have belatedly chosen to publicly attack Fox News’ constitutionally protected coverage regarding their client,” a Fox News spokesperson said in a statement provided to TVNewser.
The scope of a defamation trial would not be large enough to get Fox Nation shut down in any case. The streamer will continue to offer lifestyle programming, such as shows like “Yellowstone: One-Fifty” and “Liberty or Death: Boston Tea Party,” as well as conservative news programming such as “Hannity” on-demand to its customer base of more than 2 million subscribers.
Fox Nation
Fox Nation is an entertainment streaming service created by Fox News and gives subscribers access to full, commercial-free episodes from well-known right-wing personalities like Sean Hannity and Laura Ingraham, as well as entertainment from Kevin Costner, Kelsey Grammer, Sharon Osbourne, Roseanne Barr, and Rob Schneider. Fox Nation service can be accessed as a standalone streamer or as an add-on to the live TV streaming services DIRECTV STREAM and Fubo. Start streaming today with a five-day free trial.