Stand up for the facts!
Our only agenda is to publish the truth so you can be an informed participant in democracy.
We need your help.
I would like to contribute
No, Elon Musk didn’t threaten to suspend X users who call him fat
X owner Elon Musk has threatened to suspend accounts on the social media platform for many reasons, but calling him "fat" isn’t one of them.
"Accounts calling me fat, ‘Elonia’, ‘The First Lady’, saying I can’t jump, or pointing out my hair plugs and jawline gender affirming surgery, will be suspended without warning," an image of a purported Nov. 17 X post from Musk says.
A Threads post sharing the image was flagged as part of Meta’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Meta, which owns Facebook, Instagram and Threads.)
This statement doesn’t appear on Musk’s X account, and we found no credible evidence — such as news reporting or a link to a deleted X post — that it ever did.
Featured Fact-check
Rather, it appears that another X post from Musk, in which he said, "Instead of teaching fear of pregnancy we should teach fear of childlessness," was altered to create this fake suspension warning. This post has the same date and Eastern Standard Time time stamp as the image in the Threads post.
Sign up for PolitiFact texts
The X account profile photo on the Threads post image also doesn’t match the one Musk uses, signaling that it’s fabricated.
We rate claims this is an authentic Musk post False.
Our Sources
Threads post, Nov. 20, 2024
PolitiFact, No, Elon Musk didn’t threaten to suspend X users ‘promoting propaganda,’ Sept. 12, 2024
X post, Nov. 17, 2024
Elon Musk’s X account, visited Nov. 20, 2024
Browse the Truth-O-Meter
More by Ciara O'Rourke
No, Elon Musk didn’t threaten to suspend X users who call him fat
Support independent fact-checking.
Become a member!
In a world of wild talk and fake news, help us stand up for the facts.