FACT CHECK: Did Disney+ Lose 23 Million Subscribers ‘Trying To Cancel’ Elon Musk?
A post shared on X, formerly Twitter, claims Disney+ lost 23 million subscribers overnight for “trying to cancel” X CEO Elon Musk.
This is amazing @elonmusk pic.twitter.com/ymNWA7Goqv
— whatsupfranks (@WhatsupFranks) December 4, 2023
Verdict: False
The claim is inaccurate. It stems from a satirical website that has been debunked several times previously.
Fact Check:
Disney, among many other companies, recently made the decision to suspend advertising from X following Musk’s approval of a post considered by many to be anti-semitic, according to Forbes. Disney CEO Iger stated that he felt his company’s association with Elon Musk and X was “not necessarily a positive one for us,” The New York Post reports.
An X post shows an image of Musk alongside Iger with the text, “Disney loses 23 million subscribers overnight trying to cancel Musk.”
The claim is inaccurate, however. There are no credible news reports to corroborate the claim. Musk replied to the post on X confirming it’s fake.
This is fake, but Disney and others were buying advertising on this platform because it made financial sense for them to do so – it wasn’t some kind of charitable donation!
In boycotting 𝕏, they will experience a meaningful decline in distribution, which is contrary to the…
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 4, 2023
The claim was originally posted by a website called the Dunning-Kruger Times. The site’s “About Us” page reads “Dunning-Kruger-Times.com is a subsidiary of the “America’s Last Line of Defense” network of parody, satire, and tomfoolery.”
Check Your Fact has debunked the Dunning-Kruger Times numerous times previously. (RELATED: No, Disney+ Is Not Shutting Down In December)
Check Your Fact has reached out to a Disney+ spokesperson for comment and will update this piece accordingly if one is received.