Elon Musk bought ABC, canceled 'The View?' No, that started as satire | Fact check

The claim: Elon Musk bought ABC, canceled ‘The View’

A Dec. 31, 2024, Facebook post (direct link, archive link) claims Elon Musk acquired a popular TV network and made changes to one of its programs.

“Elon Musk Drops $790M to Buy ABC Company and Cancels ‘The View’ after Alec Baldwin Calls Him a ‘Scumbag’ on this Show,” the post’s caption reads.

Similar versions of the claim were shared hundreds of times on Facebook before they were deleted.

More from the Fact-Check Team: How we pick and research claims | Email newsletter | Facebook page

Our rating: False

Musk hasn’t purchased ABC, which aired episodes of “The View” after the post about its purported cancellation was shared. Similar versions of the claim originated on satirical websites.

Claim originated on satirical websites

The Walt Disney Company bought ABC in 1996, and there is no credible evidence the network has been sold.

The sale of a major broadcaster to the world’s richest person would generate significant coverage by legitimate media outlets. Yet no such coverage exists. Nor is there any record of the purported sale on the website that hosts ABC’s press releases or on Musk’s X account. As of Jan. 3, the most recent mention of ABC by Musk on his account came in September 2024 in response to its moderation of the debate between President-elect Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris.

Fact check: Claim about DirecTV dropping 'The View' originated as satire

Additionally, ABC's signature daytime talk show “The View” has not been canceled. An episode aired Jan. 3 – three days after the post referencing its supposed cancellation was shared – and its schedule through Jan. 16 has been published.

The post goes on to claim the purported acquisition took place after actor Alec Baldwin called Musk a “scumbag” during an appearance on the show. A longer article posted Jan. 1 to a disreputable website goes into more detail, claiming Musk bought the network after Baldwin insulted him “during a heated segment earlier this week.” But the actor did not appear on “The View” during the show’s 28th season, which began in September 2024. And there is no credible evidence Baldwin ever publicly made the statement attributed to him. It is referenced in separate articles labeled as satire and posted by the satirical website SpaceXMania and by the Dunning-Kruger Times, part of the America’s Last Line of Defense satirical network.

Versions of the claim originated months ago from those satirical websites, both of which clearly identified them as fabrications. One that had been archived by March 2023 was published by the Dunning-Kruger Times. A forward-looking version was shared in July 2024 by The Patriots Network, part of the SpaceXMania satirical network.

The $790 million dollar figure referenced in the post is another clue that the claim is fabricated. Disney – which is worth $200 billion – spent $19 billion to buy the network in 1996. In 2023, media mogul Byron Allen offered $10 billion – more than 10 times the amount in the post – for ABC and several other cable networks.

The post is an example of what could be called "stolen satire," where posts created as satire and presented that way originally are reposted in a way that makes them appear to be legitimate news. As a result, readers of the second-generation post are misled, as was the case here.

USA TODAY previously debunked false claims that Musk agreed to buy CNN and took over MSNBC and replaced host Rachel Maddow with Joe Rogan.

When contacted by USA TODAY, an ABC spokesperson declined to provide an on-the-record comment. USA TODAY also reached out to Musk through the press office at X, to Baldwin’s publicist and to several Facebook users who shared the claim but did not immediately receive responses.

Our fact-check sources

• TV Guide, accessed Jan. 3, The View TV Listings
• TV Guide, accessed Jan. 3, The View Season 28 Episodes
• ABC Entertainment, accessed Jan. 3, Releases
• Elon Musk, accessed Jan. 3, X account
• The Patriots Network, July 6, 2024, Facebook post
• Dunning-Kruger Times (archive), March 12, 2023, Elon Musk Buys ABC, Cancels The View
• Dunning-Kruger Times (archive), Jan. 5, 2023, Baldwin Calls Musk ‘A Scumbag’ On ‘The View’
• SpaceXMania, March 7, 2023, Baldwin Calls Elon Musk ‘A Scumbag’ On ‘The View’, Musk reacts
• Department of Justice, Jan. 16, 1996, Justice Department Clears Walt Disney/Capital Cities/ABC Merger After Disney Announces Plans to Sell Los Angeles TV Station
• Reuters, Sept. 15, 2023, Mogul Byron Allen makes $10 billion bid for Disney's ABC, other networks
• CBS News, Sept. 15, 2023, Media mogul Byron Allen offers Disney $10 billion for ABC, cable TV channels

Thank you for supporting our journalism. You can subscribe to our print edition, ad-free app or e-newspaper here.

USA TODAY is a verified signatory of the International Fact-Checking Network, which requires a demonstrated commitment to nonpartisanship, fairness and transparency. Our fact-check work is supported in part by a grant from Meta.