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| - A rumor that Elon Musk pulled an "exclusive show" from ABC was circulating online on Sept. 12, 2024. One Facebook post (archived) said the tech billionaire called the network "a disgrace to the media industry" when cancelling the the project.
The claim also appeared on a website called Esspots.com, which wrote: "The latest drama unfolded after Musk pulled the plug on his highly anticipated exclusive show with ABC."
Esspots.com then said the show would have been called "Elon's Space Odyssey," which the website described as "a blend of 'Survivor,' 'Shark Tank,' and 'Star Trek' — all rolled into one."
(SpaceX Fanclub Facebook page)
Some social media users seemed to take the rumor as fact. One Facebook user who shared the post said (archived): "They openly cheated on a presidential election! They are not journalists, they are biased terrorists who should be tried for treason!" Another wrote (archived): "Good for him. Standing up for his beliefs."
However, there was no evidence Musk pulled a show from ABC or had a television show in development with the network. Likewise, no credible news outlets reported on the rumor.
A search for the exact phrases "Elon Musk" and "a disgrace to the media industry," as well as "ABC," uncovered no evidence of the X and Tesla owner ever producing the "disgrace to the media industry" remarks.
Rather, the claim about "Elon's Space Odyssey" originated with the article posted by Esspots — a website that described its output as being humorous or satirical in nature, and part of the same network as the SpaceX Fanclub Facebook page. Esspots' "About Us" page stated:
Welcome to the US page of Esspots (A Subsidiary of SpaceXMania.com specializing in Satire and Parody News), your one-stop destination for satirical news and commentary about the United States of America. Our team of writers and editors is dedicated to bringing you the latest and greatest in fake news and absurdity, all with a healthy dose of humor and satire.
The Esspots article was also labeled as satire, as was the image in the SpaceX Fanclub Facebook post. SpaceX Fanclub also described itself as a "Satire/parody" account.
Further, the "ABC" logo pictured in the article and the Facebook post belonged to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, not the American Broadcasting Company (ABC network).
The fictional story spread after ABC hosted the U.S. presidential debate between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump on Sept. 10, 2024. After the contest, claims regarding the network emerged, such as the false story of an "ABC whistleblower" dying in a car crash, as well as satirical claims the network fired the debate moderators and lost $27 million in advertising revenue.
Snopes has addressed similar satirical claims about Musk and ABC in the past, including the rumor the tech billionaire sued Whoopi Goldberg and "The View," that he planned to purchase ABC in order to cancel "The View," and that he actually did purchase ABC and fired the cast of "The View."
For background, here is why we alert readers to rumors created by sources that call their output humorous or satirical.
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