Elon Musk Shuts Down Bizarre Rumor He Wants to Buy MAGA Cable Channel
The totally outlandish claim that Musk wants to buy OAN briefly served as a glimmer of hope for the far-right channel that was recently dropped by DirecTV.

Theo Wargo
Elon Musk on Thursday shot down a bizarre rumor that he was interested in buying right-wing cable network One America News, distancing himself from the idea less than an hour after it was floated by OAN owner Robert Herring.
The short-lived claim that the billionaire wanted to buy the struggling cable network began Thursday morning, when Herring tweeted that “somebody very close” to Musk had contacted Herring about Musk’s interest in buying the network.
We just received a call from somebody very close to @elonmusk telling us that he would like to talk to us about purchasing @OANN.
— Robert Herring (@RobHerring) June 9, 2022
Roughly an hour later, though, Musk threw cold water on the idea that he wanted to buy OAN.
“Only Twitter,” Musk replied to Herring in a tweet, referencing his attempts to buy the social media giant.
For OAN viewers on Twitter, the idea of Musk purchasing the far-right channel had briefly turned the mogul into the channel’s savior. OAN faces a dire financial future after DirecTV stopped carrying the conspiracy theory-ridden channel on its platform.
“Let us pray…” tweeted one OAN fan responding to Herring’s tweet before Musk dismissed the idea.
Get the best of The Beast delivered right to your inbox
By clicking “SUBSCRIBE” you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
It’s not clear whether Herring made up the idea of a Musk purchase himself or was duped by a prankster posing as a Musk associate. Herring and Musk didn’t respond to requests for comment.
Unlock a year of full access to The Looker and The Daily Beast for $35.
Monthly
$1
First month then $5.99/month
Annual
$35
First year then $59.99/year
Premium
$79
First year then $119.99/year
*Substack access provided by the next business day, using your subscription email. Choosing the Premium plan constitutes your permission to share your subscription email with Substack and your agreement to Substack’s Privacy Policy.
Looks like you already have a subscription!
You're all set!
Thanks for subscribing.
Register below to read this article for free or subscribe
to unlock unlimited access to The Looker and The Daily Beast.
Monthly
$1
First month then $5.99/month
Annual
$35
First year then $59.99/year
Premium
$79
First year then $119.99/year
*Substack access provided by the next business day, using your subscription email. Choosing the Premium plan constitutes your permission to share your subscription email with Substack and your agreement to Substack’s Privacy Policy.
Already have an account? Sign In
Looks like you already have a subscription!
You're all set!
Thanks for subscribing.
Sign in
Login dialog

