Claim of Elon Musk ban on Disney’s LGBTQ pride content is stolen satire | Fact check

The claim: Elon Musk blocked Disney’s LGBTQ pride content on X

A Jan. 2 Facebook post (direct link, archive link) claims Elon Musk, the owner of X. announced a new policy for the platform.

“Elon Musk’s Bold Move: Blocks Disney’s Pride Content on X with Explosive Statement, ‘Woke is Not for Children,'” the post’s caption reads.

A similar Facebook post was shared 1,000 times before being deleted.

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Our rating: False

Elon Musk hasn’t announced a block of Disney’s LGBTQ pride content on X. The claim originated as satire.

No credible reports Musk blocked Disney’s Pride content on X

Musk is a critic of what he calls the “woke mind virus,” which he said “makes everything less funny” and is “arguably one of the biggest threats to modern civilization” in a 2021 interview with The Babylon Bee. Musk told conservative commentator Jordan Peterson in 2024 that he promised to “destroy” the virus after he was “essentially tricked” into agreeing to gender-affirming care procedures for his child during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Musk has also targeted Disney with the “woke” tag. In a July 26, 2024, X post, Musk said the “woke mind virus” controls the company. In a Dec. 2, 2023, post, he said Disney is the “world’s biggest example of go woke, go broke lol.”

But contrary to the claim in the Facebook post, Musk has not blocked any Disney content on X. There is no record of Musk announcing such a move on his X profile, and there have been no credible news reports about Musk blocking Disney’s LGBTQ pride content on X. Posts from Disney-affiliated X accounts celebrating and promoting Pride events remained active on the platform as of Jan. 3.

The post borrows language from a satirical news article from Zapon, a website whose “About Us” page describes it as “your go-to source for all things satire.”

The satirical article, “Elon Musk Blocks Disney’s Pride Content on X, Says ‘Woke’ Isn’t for Kids,” was posted on Nov. 12, 2024, and includes satire labels in its primary image and body text. However, the Facebook post includes no indication of the claim’s original satirical nature.

The Facebook 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 reached out to the Facebook user, Disney and X for comment but did not immediately receive responses.

Reuters, Check Your Fact and PolitiFact also debunked the claim.

Our fact-check sources

Elon Musk, accessed Jan. 2, X profile

Zapon (archived), Nov. 12, 2024, Elon Musk Blocks Disney’s Pride Content on X, Says ‘Woke’ Isn’t for Kids

@Disney, April 17, 2023, X post

@DisneyPlus, June 2, 2023, X post

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Post passes satirical news about Musk, Disney as real | Fact check