The name of Elon Musk has been making headlines throughout the years. The boss of X (formerly Twitter), Tesla and SpaceX, who now tends to play a bigger role in the fast-growing world of artificial intelligence, was rumored to have bought the ABC TV network.
This rumor started following a Facebook meme that attracted the attention of many. Later, however, it became apparent that this claim lacked credible evidence to support it.
The meme had a photo of Joy Behar, one of the hosts of the talk show The View, with a comment alleging that “Elon Musk issued a tender offer to buy ‘The View’ outright for $17 and a coupon for a free appetizer at Applebee’s.”
What’s most, media outlets picked up the meme along with a story that Musk fired the entire crew of The View.
The article, initially published on a Facebook page named Love Style, read, “In a surprising turn of events, Elon Musk, the influential CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, has made a bold move that has grabbed the attention of the entertainment world. He has acquired ABC and wasted no time in dismissing the entire cast of the long-running talk show, The View. This unprecedented decision has sent shockwaves throughout the industry, leaving fans and critics in awe.”
It continued: “According to sources close to Musk, he took this daring step due to his dissatisfaction with the show’s repetitive arguments and lack of innovation. In a statement, Musk expressed his frustration, saying, ‘I’ve been watching ‘The View’ for years, and it feels like the same tired discussions over and over again. I’ve had enough of it, and I believe it’s time for a fresh approach to daytime talk shows.’”
This story turned out not to be true. Musk neither purchased ABC nor he fired the show’s cast.
However, once the story spread, many believed it was true and re-shared it. Many even commented, with one person writing, “I really like this guy. ‘The View’ should have been gone a long time ago. Thank you, Elon!!,” and another adding, “About time. Someone had to raise the intellectual standards of the American viewer.”