Reported November 2023 reply endorsing an antisemitic conspiracy post on X, and the advertiser pullback that followed
Reuters, AP, NPR, NYT, CNN and CNBC covered Musk's Nov. 15, 2023 reply 'You have said the actual truth' to an X post pushing an antisemitic conspiracy theory. IBM, Disney, Apple and others paused X ads, the White House condemned the reply, and Musk later apologized for the post while using an expletive toward advertisers. Reported language only.
Editorial timeline of public reporting, not a legal finding.
- Musk replies to an X post pushing an antisemitic conspiracy theory: 'You have said the actual truth' - Reuters reported that on Wednesday, Nov. 15, 2023, Musk agreed with an X post that referenced the 'Great Replacement' conspiracy theory, saying the user was speaking 'the actual truth.' The New York Times wrote that a Jewish group called the theory 'the deadliest antisemitic conspiracy theory in modern U.S. history.' White House condemns Musk for spreading 'hideous' antisemitic lies
- IBM pauses its advertising on X - The New York Times reported that less than 24 hours after Musk's reply, IBM paused its advertising on X while X chief executive Linda Yaccarino and others scrambled to contain the fallout. AP reported that NBCUniversal and Comcast also stopped advertising after a report said ads appeared next to material praising Nazis. X Races to Contain Damage After Elon Musk Endorses Antisemitic Post
- White House condemns the reply; Disney, Apple and others pause ads - Reuters reported that the White House condemned Musk's reply as an endorsement of a 'hideous' antisemitic conspiracy theory, while Disney, Warner Bros. Discovery and Comcast paused advertising. NPR and the New York Times reported that Apple, Paramount and Lionsgate also halted ads, and NPR said the European Commission would stop advertising on any social media platform. White House condemns Musk for spreading 'hideous' antisemitic lies
- At DealBook, Musk apologizes for the post but uses an expletive toward advertisers - CNN reported that at the New York Times DealBook Summit Musk said he was sorry for the post and called it perhaps the dumbest he had ever made. CNBC and Axios reported that he also accused advertisers who left X of trying to blackmail him with money and used an expletive to tell them not to advertise. He said his Israel trip was planned before the post. Elon Musk apologizes for 'dumbest' post but lashes out at advertisers at DealBook Summit