A rumor that ABC television network lost 1 million subscribers after Tesla owner and Republican megadonor Elon Musk called for its boycott circulated online in the fall of 2024. For example, the SpaceX Fanclub Facebook page posted about this October 31:

1 million ABC subscribers disappear after Musk’s boycott call

ABC loses nearly a million subscribers overnight after Elon Musk’s boycott call

(Facebook/SpaceX fan club)

This is not the first time the page has published this rumor. The first time was September 16, 2024days after the presidential debate between Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris and former Republican President Donald Trump hosted by ABC.

The fictitious story spread after the debate moderators were widely criticized in Republican circles for their verify Trump’s claims.

Some readers seemed to interpret the rumor as a factual account of real events. However, there was no evidence that Musk previously called on people to boycott ABC.

The statement comes from a page that is satirical in nature. The SpaceX Fanclub’s Facebook intro stated: “We post SATIRE, nothing on this page is real.” The post above also included a “RATED SATIRE” label at the top left.

Additionally, the pinned comment below the most recent post related to a article on Esspots.com — a website that describes its output as humorous or satirical in nature. The article said:

ABC Loses Nearly 1 Million Subscribers Overnight After Elon Musk’s Boycott Call

In what could be considered one of the most dramatic media shakeups of the year, ABC reportedly lost nearly a million subscribers overnight. The reason? A tweet from tech mogul Elon Musk, who, after witnessing what he described as “blatant bias” during ABC’s recent coverage of the presidential debate, called for a total boycott of the network. As with most things involving Musk, the fallout was swift, chaotic, and absolutely memory-worthy.

Esspots.com disclaimer states:

Welcome to the US page of Espots (a subsidiary of SpaceXMania.com specializing in satirical news and parody), your one-stop destination for satirical news and commentary about the United States of America. Our team of writers and editors are dedicated to bringing you the latest and greatest in fake news and nonsense, all with a healthy dose of humor and satire.

Esspots.com and SpaceX Fanclub have a history of inventing stories to share and comment on, sometimes relying on artificial intelligence writing software to tell their story.

Snopes has responded to similar satirical claims coming from the satirical site in the past, including the claim that Musk would buy ABC to rid him of his “awakening”.

For context, here is Why we alert readers to rumors created by sources who characterize their posts as humorous or satirical.