In March 2023, an online rumor began to spread claiming that Michael Jordan had turned down a $120 million offer from Disney "to be the new name and face of the company."
We traced the rumor to an article by The Dunning-Kruger Times, a subsidiary of the satire network America's Last Line of Defense. The piece stated:
Michael Jordan Turns Down $120 Million Ad Campaign With Disney: "I Like My Reputation"
The Walt Disney Corporation is trying desperately to rebrand itself after its time with "wokeness" backfired. In the span of just under two years, the parks emptied as guests dropped their reservations, their movies flopped after being re-written to cater to a fraction of a percentage of Americans, and the CEO they replaced was forced to come back to right the sinking ship.
The big plan was to get some huge names to back the company on its path back to family values. Unfortunately, the number one name and the only man who could have made it work said no.
Michael Jordan turned down a $120 million offer from Disney to be the new name and face of the company.
The claim spread on social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook, and at least two other websites published the article by The Dunning-Kruger Times word-for-word.
????Michael Jordan Turns Down $120 Million Ad Campaign With Disney: "I Like My Reputation."
The Walt Disney Corporation is trying desperately to rebrand itself after it's time with 'wokeness' backfired. #GoWokeGoBroke https://t.co/vrW4TDhiPN
— DK???????????????????? (@1Nicdar) April 9, 2023
We've repeatedly fact-checked rumors that stem from the The Dunning-Kruger Times, which has the following disclaimer on its "About Us" page:
About Satire
Before you complain and decide satire is synonymous with "comedy":
sat·ire ˈsaˌtī(ə)r noun: The use of humor, irony, exaggeration, OR ridicule to expose and criticize people's stupidity or vices, particularly in the context of contemporary politics and other topical issues.
Everything on this website is fiction. It is not a lie and it is not fake news because it is not real. If you believe that it is real, you should have your head examined. Any similarities between this site's pure fantasy and actual people, places, and events are purely coincidental and all images should be considered altered and satirical. See above if you're still having an issue with that satire thing.
The fake article about Jordan cited "Joe Barron" as the basketball legend's spokesperson. The website used that name for characters in its fictional stories previously, including in an article that claimed "The View" settled with Kyle Rittenhouse for $22 million. In that story, "Joe Barron" was Rittenhouse's spokesman.
At the time of publication, there was no evidence that Jordan turned down a $120 million offer to partner with Disney on an advertising campaign. No reputable news publications reported on any such deal.
For background, here is why we sometimes write about satire/humor.