Claim:
Tech mogul Elon Musk is suing Whoopi Goldberg and the ABC show “The View” for millions, claiming they are “lying” about him.
Rating:
Labeled Satire (About this rating?)
A rumor that Elon Musk is suing Whoopi Goldberg and “The View” show for millions circulated widely online in 2024. For example, the Facebook page SpaceX Fanclub posted a purported quote from Musk in August 2024:
Elon Musk Sues The View and Whoopi Goldberg for $80 Million: “They Are Lying About Me”
(Facebook user “SpaceX Fanclub”)
The Facebook page also shared a link to an article on esspots.com, which stated:
In an unexpected twist of events, tech mogul Elon Musk, the man behind such groundbreaking ventures as SpaceX and Tesla, is pushing back against media giant The View and its illustrious host, Whoopi Goldberg. But this isn’t your ordinary celebrity spat; it comes in the form of a hefty $60 million defamation lawsuit.
[…]
The lawsuit stems from a recent appearance Musk made on The View. What should have been a friendly conversation about his latest ventures quickly devolved into a heated clash of personalities. With the usual back-and-forth chatter one expects from daytime television, the interview took a sour turn when Goldberg, known for her direct approach, started questioning Musk’s business ethics and personal character.
The host’s barrage of criticisms came thick and fast, alleging Musk of harboring dangerous ambitions and acting unethically in his business practices. Goldberg went as far as accusing him of creating a monopoly in the tech industry and damaging the Earth through his SpaceX projects.
Some readers seemed to interpret the rumor as a factual recounting of real-life events with one commenter stating, “Good for you Elon, the view must be stopped.” However, there was no evidence of Musk filing such a lawsuit.
Rather, the rumor about the supposed lawsuit between Musk and Goldberg originated with SpaceX Fanclub and esspots.com — a Facebook page and affiliated website that describes its output as being humorous or satirical in nature. The Facebook page “Introduction” section states: “We post SATIRE, nothing on this page is real.”
Esspots.com’s disclaimer stated:
Welcome to Esspots.com, a website that specializes in satire, parody, and humor. Before you proceed to read our content, we would like to emphasize that nothing on this website is real. All of the articles, stories, and commentary found on Esspots.com are entirely fictitious and created for the purpose of entertainment only.
Esspots.com has a history of making up stories for shares and comments.
The fictional story spread amidst news of Brazil banning access to X in the country after a court ordered Musk to take down content on the platform that they said threatened the integrity of its elections. Musk refused to comply, triggering the ban.
Snopes has addressed similar satirical claims about Musk and Goldberg in the past, including a false rumor that claimed Goldberg had confronted South Carolina U.S. Sen. Tim Scott on set and walked out crying, and a false rumor that Musk had banned writer Stephen King from X.
For background, here is why we alert readers to rumors created by sources that call their output humorous or satirical.
News
Trump Supporters Hail Usher For Refusing to Endorse Harris on ‘The View’ — With Edited Clip That Omits His Endorsement (HG)
Right-Wing Influencers Run Wild With Clip of Usher on ‘The View’ Declining to Endorse Harris — But Full Video Tells Very Different Story Screenshot A viral clip has been making the rounds on the Right — purporting to show music…
Taylor Swift encouraged to SUE Elon Musk for ‘sexual harassment’ by rapper Azealia Banks: ‘Take his money!’ (HG)
Rapper Azealia Banks thinks Taylor Swift should ‘sue’ Elon Musk for ‘sexual harassment’ after he bizarrely offered to impregnate the superstar earlier this week. The Tesla founder, 53, raised eyebrows when he reacted to Swift’s dramatic endorsement of Kamala Harris for US president — which included a dig at Trump’s…
Justin Timberlake clashed with ‘mean’ Matthew Lawrence over Danielle Fishel on ‘Boy Meets World’ set
May the best man win. Justin Timberlake and Matthew Lawrence were at odds over their affection for Danielle Fishel on the set of “Boy Meets World” in the early 2000s. Lawrence, 44, recalled his beef with the “SexyBack” singer, 43, on Monday’s…
Why Is Chelsea Clinton On ‘The View’?(HG)
The View kicked off this morning with a slightly different looking Hot Topics table. While we’re used to seeing Whoopi Goldberg, Joy Behar, Sunny Hostin, Sara Haines and Alyssa Farah Griffin around the table most days, Thursday kicked off with a…
Mr. Timberlake’s lawyer declined to comment on the plea deal. Justin Timberlake to Plead Guilty to Lesser Charge in D.W.I. Case
Justin Timberlake to Plead Guilty to Lesser Charge in D.W.I. Case The singer, who was charged after an erratic drive in Sag Harbor, N.Y., is expected to appear in person in court on Friday. Justin Timberlake was arrested in…
‘The View’: Whoopi Apologizes for Telling JD Vance to ‘Shut Up’ About Taylor Swift | Video (HG)
“I’m sorry, that was very rude,” the ABC host says The View Whoopi Goldberg offered an apology to vice presidential hopeful JD Vance on Thursday morning, just seconds after telling him bluntly to “shut up.” But that doesn’t mean the…
End of content
No more pages to load