On Oct. 11, 2023, SpaceXMania.com published an article claiming that Elon Musk tweeted he would rather break his leg than see Taylor Swift during an NFL game, presumably in reference to her cameos during NFL TV coverage due to her relationship to Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce. The article claimed:
Elon Musk: “I’d Rather Break My Leg Than See Taylor Swift During An NFL Game”
In a surprising revelation on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, Elon Musk commented on pop superstar Taylor Swift’s recent appearances at NFL games, stating, “I’d rather break my leg than see Taylor Swift during an NFL game.” The billionaire and tech tycoon’s comment quickly became one of the platform’s top trending topics, with fans and critics alike weighing in on the unexpected sentiment.
A Facebook account for SpaceXMedia, SpaceX Lovers, shared the article in a post that attracted comments from users who seemed to believe the story was real and support Musk's alleged comment.
But, the article was not an account of real events — that is, it did not describe an actual tweet from Musk about Swift. It was intended to be satirical.
SpaceXMania included a "satire" label above the article's headline and a disclaimer at the bottom reading, "Note: This is 100% Satire and not real news." The website also has a disclaimer page that reads:
Please note that the article under the category “SATIRE” are satirical in nature and are not meant to be taken seriously. These articles are meant to be humorous and are often entirely made up. We make no claim that the information presented in these articles is true or accurate.
Readers should exercise caution and use their own judgment when reading and interpreting our satirical articles. We take no responsibility for any actions taken based on the content of these articles.
SpaceXMania published other articles about Swift and Kelce in October 2023, all of which are also satirical and do not describe real events. Within those articles are fictional stories about Swift causing NFL ratings to drop by over 50%, the NFL banning her from attending games, and an incident in which she was denied entry into a Chiefs game.
For background, here is why we sometimes write about satire/humor.