In what could be one of the most dramatic shifts in media this year, ABC has reportedly lost nearly 1 million subscribers overnight. The reason? A tweet from tech mogul Elon Musk, who, after witnessing what he described as “blatant bias” during ABC’s recent presidential debate coverage, called for a total boycott of the network. As with most things involving Musk, the fallout was swift, chaotic, and absolutely meme-worthy.
The Twitter/X mogul’s call to action was simple but potent, and came after the highly-anticipated Trump-Harris debate, moderated by ABC’s David Muir and Linsey Davis. While presidential debates are always hotbeds of controversy, this one reached a new level of absurdity, with Musk focusing his anger on what he saw as an over-moderation of the facts toward Donald Trump. According to Musk and his supporters, Harris received much softer treatment during the debate, prompting Musk to step in and declare ABC unwatchable.
“ABC is worse than your Wi-Fi during a Zoom call,” Musk tweeted late in the evening. “Let’s boycott them. Let’s show them who really rules here.”
And just like that, the Internet was on fire.
Elon Musk, the man who can send cryptocurrency prices plummeting with a single meme and make Tesla stock bounce like a rubber ball, has now proven that his influence extends beyond technology and into the heart of mainstream media. His followers, an eclectic mix of tech enthusiasts, libertarians, crypto investors, and those simply in awe of his space dreams, were quick to jump on the boycott bandwagon.
Within hours, #BoycottABC was trending on Twitter/X like wildfire, igniting intense debates about media bias, free speech, and whether Musk should start his own TV network on Mars (a suggestion that garnered more support than it probably should).
It wasn’t long before the digital stampede began to have real-world consequences.
By morning, ABC’s subscriber base was crumbling faster than a stale cookie. Nearly 1 million subscribers, many of them longtime viewers, had canceled their ABC streaming services. ABC-connected platforms like Hulu also began to feel the impact as Musk’s followers opted to abandon anything remotely affiliated with the network. Some claimed they were “purging” their apps to ensure no remnant of woke corporate culture survived the Musk-driven purge.
For those unfamiliar with the debate that sparked this media storm, it all went down during the highly anticipated presidential debate between Trump and Harris. Moderated by ABC’s David Muir and Linsey Davis, the event quickly devolved into a battleground of interruptions, fact-checking, and barely concealed frustration.
According to Musk and many others, the moderators spent most of the debate correcting Trump’s claims while letting Harris off the hook. “It felt more like Harris’s fan club than a debate,” one Musk supporter tweeted indignantly. “They let her give a TED talk, but Trump couldn’t finish a sentence without the fact-checking hammer coming down.”
This sentiment was repeated throughout the evening, but it was not until Musk, always willing to voice his opinion, publicly declared his displeasure that the floodgates opened.
“We need to fight back against biased media,” Musk tweeted. “ABC has lost its way. They don’t care about fairness anymore. Let’s show them that viewers still have power.”
That was all they needed. Musk’s loyal followers needed no further motivation. The countdown to ABC’s mass cancellation had begun.
Caught off guard by the immediate reaction, ABC was quick to respond to the rapidly unfolding disaster. Executives quickly issued a statement, attempting to calm the flames:
“ABC remains committed to providing fair and balanced coverage of all political events. We strive to maintain journalistic integrity and welcome constructive feedback from all of our viewers.”
But by the time ABC’s PR department finished drafting this boilerplate response, the damage had already been done. Musk had used his Twitter/X platform with laser-like precision, and ABC’s subscriber base was dwindling faster than a black hole.
“It’s not just about the debate,” said one disgruntled subscriber after cancelling his service. “It’s about the media thinking they can tell us what to think. If Elon Musk says they’ve gone too far, I believe him.”
Whether this mass cancellation is temporary or a long-term problem for ABC remains to be seen, but early signs suggest the boycott could endure. Musk fans, after all, are known for their fierce loyalty, and once they decide to support their “tech overlord,” they don’t back down easily.
Naturally, the next question on everyone’s mind is, “What’s next for Musk?” Having single-handedly demolished ABC’s subscriber base, many are speculating that Musk could use this opportunity to expand his empire beyond social media, cars, and space exploration.
Some of his more enterprising supporters have already begun campaigning for Musk to launch his own TV network. “Forget ABC. We need X TV, where free speech actually means something!” one supporter tweeted.
