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Elon Musk loves attention. So much so that he bought Twitter (now X) to have his very own spotlight. And with a hefty net worth like his, there’s not much out of his reach.
The tech mogul seems to have a hand in everything from electric vehicles and space travel, to social media. But the latest buzz on social media claimed that Musk was eyeing a new frontier: network television. Specifically, rumors swirled that he was planning to buy ABC to cancel one of its most talked-about shows, The View.
The birth of the rumor
This whole saga started back in 2014 when the Facebook page The Patriots Network released a post that made a bold claim: Elon Musk was allegedly buying ABC to pull the plug on The View. The post quickly went viral, sparking both excitement and outrage. Some commenters cheered the idea of Musk stepping in, calling The View “hateful” and “prejudiced.”
Others dismissed the claim as too bizarre to be real. The post linked to an article from SpacexMania.com, which echoed the same story. The headline claimed Musk was interested in ABC to “cancel woke The View.” It also claimed Musk was considering purchasing ABC to combat “wokeness” on the network. For fans of internet satire, the punchline was right there. But the post itself carried a disclaimer labeling the content as satire. In addition, The Patriots Network and SpacexMania.com openly describe their content as satirical, clarifying that the claims were not factual.
The truth about Musk and ABC
First things first, Elon Musk has not bought ABC. He also never announced plans to buy it, and there’s no credible evidence that he’s ever been interested in owning the network. Sure, Musk has shown interest in media before. His 2022 acquisition of Twitter (now X) proved he’s not afraid to make bold moves in the communications world. However, ABC is still firmly under the ownership of The Walt Disney Company.
While Disney has reportedly considered selling ABC as part of restructuring efforts, there’s been no mention of Musk being a buyer. The rumor was debunked by fact-checkers almost as soon as it surfaced. It’s a classic example of satire being mistaken for reality. And let’s be real, if Musk were planning something as huge as buying a major TV network, he’d probably tweet about it first, seeing as he just loves the attention.
The idea of Musk canceling The View struck a chord with certain audiences, and that’s likely why the rumor took off. Some critics worry about the consolidation of media ownership and Musk’s outsized influence over public discourse. His Twitter/X acquisition was polarizing, so imagining him reshaping ABC made for juicy speculation. But as fun as the idea might be to debate, it’s simply not true. The network hasn’t been sold, and Musk has shown no interest in entering the world of television broadcasting… The takeaway is that Elon Musk isn’t buying ABC, and The View isn’t going anywhere because of him. This rumor was born from satire and took off thanks to social media’s love of drama.