On Sept. 6, 2023, the SpaceXMania.com website reported that "The View" co-host Whoopi Goldberg and U.S. women's national team soccer player Megan Rapinoe were planning to leave America.
The headline read, "Breaking: Whoopi Goldberg to Leave America with Megan Rapinoe; 'We Get No Respect Here.'"
The article began as follows:
In a sobering announcement that has gripped the nation, iconic actress and talk show co-host, Whoopi Goldberg, alongside soccer superstar Megan Rapinoe, declared their intentions to leave America. The overwhelming sentiment behind this unprecedented decision? A profound sense of feeling disrespected and unappreciated.
While many significant decisions stem from hushed boardroom meetings or formal gatherings, this one found its origins in the most unexpected of locales: a brunch at LA's renowned 'Eggs-travagance' bistro. As both celebrities sat down, little did the onlookers know that the meeting would spiral into a national conversation on respect, scrutiny, and the emotional toll it takes.
Goldberg, with her illustrious career spanning over decades, has had her fair share of controversies, often stemming from her unabashed opinions on 'The View.' Rapinoe, on the other hand, recently became the target of extensive public critique following a missed penalty kick, an error that fans found hard to forgive.
This article followed a previous story published by SpaceXMania.com on Aug. 31. That headline read, "'I don't get any respect': Megan Rapinoe To Leave America After Heavy Criticism."
However, these two articles were not a factual recounting of real-life events. The stories originated with a website that describes its output as being satirical in nature, both on its "About Us" page and as a label above articles.
The rumor specifically about Rapinoe also appeared in a new article on The Dunning-Kruger Times satire website on Sept. 6. The Dunning-Kruger Times is part of the America's Last Line of Defense network. The headline of the story read, "Megan Rapinoe Says She's Leaving America: 'I Get No Respect.'" The "get no respect" quotes from both websites were made up.
In Facebook comments on Sept. 6, the people behind SpaceXMania.com and Dunning-Kruger Times acknowledged each other's satirical stories, the latter continuing in satirical form calling the former a "patriot."
A search of Facebook for the Goldberg and Rapinoe "leaving America" headlines published by these two websites yielded a seemingly countless number of comments from users who appeared to believe that the pair were, in fact, leaving the U.S., even though it was only satire.
For background, here is why we sometimes write about satire/humor.