On April 2, 2024, the Facebook page SpaceX Fanclub published a post featuring photos of Mel Gibson, Roseanne Barr and Mark Wahlberg and the claim that Barr was "joining forces" with Gibson and Wahlberg to open a "non-woke production studio."
The rumor followed a similar post days earlier about Wahlberg and Gibson supposedly announcing the new studio "dedicated to preserving traditional storytelling." The Facebook post including Barr in the alleged project had received 104,000 reactions, 5,800 reshares and 4,500 comments, as of this writing. One commenter wrote, "Anxiously awaiting wonderful things to come from this unity🙏."
The Facebook account, SpaceX Fanclub, pinned a comment on the post linking to a a story on esspots.com. That article featured the same images of Barr, Wahlberg and Gibson and read:
Breaking: Roseanne Barr Joins Forces with Mark Wahlberg and Mel Gibson in Launching Non-Woke Production Studio
In an unexpected move that has sent ripples through Hollywood, comedic icon Roseanne Barr has announced her collaboration with Hollywood heavyweights Mark Wahlberg and Mel Gibson to establish a groundbreaking non-woke production studio. The venture aims to shake up the entertainment industry by providing an alternative to the prevailing woke narrative that has dominated film and television in recent years.
This item was not a factual recounting of real-life events. Esspots.com, the originator of the claim, is a website that describes its output as being humorous or satirical in nature. Its "About Us" page read:
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.
Further, SpaceX Fanclub, the Facebook account that authored the above-mentioned post, had a similar disclaimer on its page: "We post SATIRE, nothing on this page is real."
For background, here is why we sometimes write about satire/humor.