Elon Musk Didn't Buy ABC, and He Definitely Hasn't Canceled 'The View'

As the richest man in the world, there's really always a possibility that Elon Musk could wind up owning something you care about. He bought Twitter and turned it into a machine that fuels his right-wing grievances.

Many were concerned that he would do something similar to ABC and The View following a post on Facebook suggesting that he had purchased the company and canceled the show. Here's what we know about whether there's any truth to that claim.

Elon Musk has not purchased ABC, and what's more, it doesn't seem like he has any interest in it. ABC is currently owned by the Walt Disney Corporation, and there has been no indication that they would be interested in selling it.

The claim originated in a satirical post on Facebook that said, “Elon Musk Drops $790M to Buy ABC Company and Cancels The View after Alec Baldwin Calls Him a ‘Scumbag’ on this Show."

This claim was shared hundreds of time on the social media site following its original posting on Dec. 31, but there is simply no truth to the claim. There has been no reporting that the company was sold, and The View has continued to air episodes in the weeks since the post went viral.

So, while it's not impossible to imagine Musk doing something like this, it doesn't seem like he did in this particular case.

While Musk has not made any moves to cancel The View, one of the reasons so many people were worried that he might was because of how avowedly anti-Trump many of the show's hosts are. Musk has become one of Trump's closest allies, and played a crucial role in helping him get reelected to the presidency. Now, it seems like he might also be working out of the White House.

Even though he's a close Trump ally, though, he has not intervened here to cancel The View. Disney spent $19 billion to buy the network in 1996, and while it's unclear what it would be worth today, it's certainly more than the $790 million that that post is claiming.

Based on USA Today's reporting, it seems like that post might have been cribbed from older pieces of satire that have circulated on the right for some time. The idea that Musk might come in and purchase any media outlet that hosts dissenting voices might sound great to those on the right, but it's also a tell-tale sign of authoritarianism designed to silence any opposition figures.

For now, though, The View is still around, even if Elon has flexed that muscle in other arenas, especially with Twitter. ABC and media outlets more generally definitely face an uncertain future under a second Trump administration. For Musk to buy ABC, though, Disney would have to want to sell it, and there has been no indication that that is the case.