On April 6, 2024, the SpaceX Fanclub Facebook page posted that actors Roseanne Barr and Tim Allen were joining forces to create a new "non-woke" actors guild, purportedly as part of their fight against political "wokeness."
The post read, "Roseanne Barr and Tim Allen Join Forces for a New Non-Woke Actors Guild." It received more than 60,000 likes and thousands of comments and shares.
The first comment under the post linked to an article about the purported news on esspots.com. It began as follows:
In a surprising and bold move that is causing ripples throughout Hollywood, comedians Roseanne Barr and Tim Allen have announced plans to establish a new non-woke actors guild. This initiative represents a significant departure from the prevailing trends in the entertainment industry, as Barr and Allen aim to create a space where artists can thrive without conforming to politically correct ideologies.
The decision to launch a non-woke actors guild comes at a time when Hollywood is grappling with increasing pressure to align with progressive values and ideologies. Many actors and industry professionals feel constrained by the expectation to adhere to politically correct narratives, often at the expense of artistic freedom and authenticity.
Commenters under the Facebook post were quick to celebrate the supposed news.
"Thank you and may God bless your endeavor," one person commented.
"Thank all of you the leftist liberal elites in Hollywood are totally use less [sic] we need our family oriented television and movies back," a different user wrote.
"Thank you. Appreciate what you are doing to turn woke around," another person remarked.
However, the truth was that this news was not real. As some other Facebook users noted in their comments, the story originated on a website that describes its content as satire. A disclaimer on esspots.com specified the website "specializes in satire, parody and humor" and said "we would like to emphasize that nothing on this website is real."
Similar satire-labeled rumors previously circulated online about Barr and Allen getting together for a new TV show, as we reported in 2023.
For background, here is why we sometimes write about satire/humor.