A post shared on Facebook claims Tesla CEO Elon Musk acquired ABC and fired the entire cast of talk show “The View.”
Verdict: False
Musk did not acquire ABC, which is still owned by Disney.
Fact Check:
Musk’s AI firm, xAI, is now valued at $24 billion, according to CNN.
Musk made an X post saying there will be “more to announce in the coming weeks” regarding his firm, the outlet reported.
A Facebook post claims Musk now owns ABC and fired the hosts of “The View.” The post shared an image of Musk and “The View” host Whoopi Goldberg.
“Elon Musk Fires Entire Cast of ‘The View’ After Acquiring ABC,” the post reads, in part.
The claim is baseless, however. There are no credible news reports about Musk acquiring ABC. The Facebook caption also says “Check the 1st comment,” which shows a link to a blog post by a user named “florent” that reiterates the claim. It cites “sources close to Musk” and includes an alleged Musk statement saying “The View” contains “the same tired discussions over and over again,” which could not be located via Google search.
There are no posts on Musk’s X account to suggest any announcement of ABC News ownership. The only post in which he mentions ABC reads, “If you were discriminated against by Disney or its subsidiaries (ABC, ESPN, Marvel, etc), just reply to this post to receive legal support.”
ABC is currently owned by the Disney Company, who acquired it for $19 billion in 1995, according to Brittanica. (RELATED: Did Dwayne Johnson Start Working In Elon Musk’s New Film Studio?)
Check Your Fact reached out to an ABC spokesperson for comment and will update this piece accordingly if one is received.