Succession star Brian Cox congratulates Edward Rogers in paid video message for ousting former CEO Joe Natale

By Alexandra Posadzki

The corporate drama at Rogers Communications Inc. has often been compared to HBO’s acclaimed television drama Succession.

Now, the lines between reality and fiction are blurring. Over the holidays, Edward Rogers, the chair and controlling shareholder of Rogers Communications, received a paid message from Brian Cox, the actor who portrays Succession’s lead character, ruthless media mogul Logan Roy.

The message was recorded through the video platform Cameo, which allows fans to buy personalized greetings and provide detailed instructions to the celebrities recording them.

The 19-second video clip was obtained by The Globe and Mail, but is also accessible to the website’s users. In it, Mr. Cox congratulates Mr. Rogers on his “real-life Succession” at Rogers, referring to a weeks-long boardroom battle that pitted Mr. Rogers against his mother and two of his sisters, reshaped the company’s board and resulted in the departure of chief executive officer Joe Natale last November. The conflict erupted as Rogers awaits regulatory approval for its $26-billion takeover of Calgary-based Shaw Communications Inc.

Published by the Globe and Mail.