
<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-topline">TOPLINE</h2>



<p>Hours after Elon Musk told companies to &#8220;go f***&#8221; themselves for pulling their advertisements from X over concerns about antisemitism—and called out Disney CEO Bob Iger by name—a group of right-wing users on the social media platform have called for Disney+ subscribers to cancel their accounts.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-facts">KEY FACTS</h2>



<p><a href="https://twitter.com/CollinRugg/status/1730227884957040938" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Multiple</a>&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/realmichaelseif/status/1730275154805068020" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">right-wing</a>&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/ChayaRaichik10/status/1730296643872792752" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">accounts</a>&nbsp;on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, called on subscribers to Disney’s streaming service Disney+ to cancel their subscriptions, with the X account End Wokeness&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/EndWokeness/status/1730218208324395011" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">posting</a>&nbsp;instructions for cancellation with the caption: “Stop giving money to people that hate you.”</p>



<p>Those calls follow Disney’s decision earlier this month to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/brianbushard/2023/11/17/apple-and-disney-pull-x-ads-after-musks-promotion-of-antisemitic-post-joining-these-other-companies/?sh=3f0da76a34fb">suspend its advertising</a>&nbsp;on the social media platform, joining a growing list of companies including Apple, IBM, Lionsgate and Xfinity, following the release of a scathing report that found advertisements on X alongside pro-Nazi posts, and after Musk endorsed a post&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/tylerroush/2023/11/16/elon-musk-condemned-after-calling-antisemitic-post-actual-truth/?sh=7e010cc14020">widely condemned</a>&nbsp;as antisemitic.</p>



<p>Disney’s decision to stop running ads on X could cost the social media platform millions of dollars, while X users’ calls for a boycott of Disney+ would have to reach many of its&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/tonifitzgerald/2023/08/09/new-record-for-disney-sheds-117-million-subscribers-password-crackdown-coming/?sh=5fe4d2b51d7b">146 million</a>&nbsp;subscribers (as of August) to have an equivalent effect.</p>



<p>Speaking at the New York Times’ DealBook Summit on Wednesday, Musk&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/antoniopequenoiv/2023/11/29/elon-musk-says-advertisers-that-have-left-x-shouldnt-come-back/?sh=1f7dc21b10c0">accused advertisers</a>&nbsp;that left the platform of “blackmailing” him with money and crudely told them to “go f**k themselves,” while addressing Iger in the crowd, saying, “hi Bob.”</p>



<p>Iger, also speaking at the summit,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8pSxx1e5n34" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">said</a>&nbsp;he has “a lot of respect for Elon and what he’s accomplished,” but took exception with Musk’s endorsement of the post on X, saying: “By him taking the position that he took in quite a public manner, we just felt that the association with that position and Elon Musk and X was not necessarily a positive one for us.”</p>



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<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-contra">CONTRA</h2>



<p>X could lose as much as $75 million in lost advertising revenue due to more than a dozen companies including Airbnb, Coca-Cola, Disney, IBM, Microsoft and Xfinity pulling out, the New York Times&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/11/24/business/x-elon-musk-advertisers.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">reported</a>.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-background">KEY BACKGROUND</h2>



<p>IBM became one of the first in a string of high-profile advertisers to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/mollybohannon/2023/11/16/ibm-suspends-advertising-on-x-after-ads-appear-near-pro-nazi-posts/?sh=17f133ce6a4d">suspend its ads</a>&nbsp;on the platform this month, after a report from left-wing watchdog Media Matters for America found advertisements for the company—as well as Apple, Oracle and Xfinity—appeared near neo-Nazi posts and posts praising Adolf Hitler. Musk suggested the watchdog went out of its way to achieve the result, claiming the finding represented a wildly different experience from that of a typical user. X Corp. later&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/tylerroush/2023/11/18/elon-musk-threatens-thermonuclear-lawsuit-against-group-reporting-antisemitic-x-posts-appearing-near-ads/?sh=27c854462b13">filed a defamation lawsuit</a>&nbsp;against Media Matters. Musk also came under fire after he&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/tylerroush/2023/11/16/elon-musk-condemned-after-calling-antisemitic-post-actual-truth/?sh=648123644020">shared</a>&nbsp;a post on X in which a user claimed “Jewish communities have been pushing the exact kind of dialectical hatred against whites that they claim to want people to stop using against them,” an argument Musk called “the actual truth.” The White House also&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/brianbushard/2023/11/17/white-house-condemns-musk-over-abhorrent-promotion-of-antisemitic-and-racist-hate/?sh=4990834c1ea5">condemned</a>&nbsp;that post, issuing a statement calling the claim an “abhorrent promotion of antisemitic and racist hate.” Musk on Wednesday apologized for the post and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.theverge.com/2023/11/29/23981771/musk-says-the-antisemitic-post-was-a-mistake" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">admitted</a>&nbsp;it was “one of the most foolish, if not the most foolish, thing I’ve done” on the platform.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-big-number">BIG NUMBER</h2>



<p>$7.2 billion. That’s how much Disney spent on advertisements in fiscal year 2022, surpassing its advertising budget in 2021 ($5.5 billion) and 2020 ($4.7 billion).</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-tangent">TANGENT</h2>



<p>Disney became the latest in a wave of major companies to draw the ire of right-wing critics largely online. Earlier this year, Bud Light drew&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/conormurray/2023/05/20/far-right-pundits-are-slamming-companies-including-nike-adidas-and-ford-for-lgbtq-outreach-as-pride-month-nears/?sh=64d1685f76d0">massive pushback</a>&nbsp;among right-wingers, including pundits Candace Owens and Ben Shapiro, after the beer brand launched a partnership with transgender TikTok star Dylan Mulvaney. Fast food chain Chick-fil-A also came under fire after right-wing online circles expressed outrage over its hiring of a director of diversity, equity and inclusion in 2021, while Adidas faced right-wing pushback for a marketing campaign that included trans-inclusive swimwear. Target additionally faced right-wing blowback online for an LGBTQ Pride product line. In response to the criticism, Target&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/conormurray/2023/05/24/target-removes-pride-items-after-conservative-firestorm-sparking-criticism-from-lgbtq-groups/?sh=18e16e20e512">pulled</a>&nbsp;items from that line in late May, just a week before the start of Pride month, claiming in a statement that threats and criticism it received over the products were “impacting our team members’ sense of safety and well-being,” though the move also sparked pushback in LGBTQ circles over claims the company caved to right-wing blowback.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-further-reading">FURTHER READING</h2>



<p><a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/antoniopequenoiv/2023/11/29/elon-musk-says-advertisers-that-have-left-x-shouldnt-come-back/?sh=1f7dc21b10c0">Elon Musk Says Advertisers That Have Left X Shouldn’t Come Back</a>&nbsp;(Forbes)</p>



<p><a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/brianbushard/2023/11/17/apple-and-disney-pull-x-ads-after-musks-promotion-of-antisemitic-post-joining-these-other-companies/?sh=3f0da76a34fb">Apple And Disney Pull X Ads After Musk’s Promotion Of Antisemitic Post—Joining These Other Companies</a> (Forbes)</p>


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Disney Vs. Musk: Right-Wing X Users Push For Disney+ Cancellations As Disney Pulls Ads


<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-topline">TOPLINE</h2>



<p>X Corporation will file a “thermonuclear” lawsuit against a media watchdog that claimed advertisements for several companies—including Apple and Disney, among others—appeared by antisemitic posts on X, Elon Musk said Saturday, following decisions from several major companies to pause ads on Musk’s social media platform.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-facts">KEY FACTS</h2>



<p>Musk&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1725771191644758037?s=46&amp;t=vx29-32gzBE_H5suNoiKjQ" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">said</a>&nbsp;a lawsuit will be filed Monday the “split second court opens” against Media Matters for America, a left-wing watchdog, after Musk suggested Media Matters “posted a story that completely misrepresented the real experience on X.”</p>



<p>Media Matters used an alternate account to curate posts and advertising that appeared on the account’s timeline, Musk claims, in an effort to “manipulate the public and advertisers.”</p>



<p>Once the account’s feed was “curated,” Media Matters “repeatedly refreshed” the account’s timeline to find “a rare instance of ads serving next to the content they chose to follow,” Musk alleges.</p>



<p>Media Matters&nbsp;<a href="https://www.mediamatters.org/twitter/musk-endorses-antisemitic-conspiracy-theory-x-has-been-placing-ads-apple-bravo-ibm-oracle" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">reported</a>&nbsp;earlier this week that ads for major firms—including Apple, Bravo, IBM, Oracle and Xfinity—were appearing next to content that supported Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party.</p>



<p>IBM said Thursday&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/mollybohannon/2023/11/16/ibm-suspends-advertising-on-x-after-ads-appear-near-pro-nazi-posts/?sh=5a48a3a66a4d">it was pulling ads</a>, while companies like&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/brianbushard/2023/11/17/apple-and-disney-pull-x-ads-after-musks-promotion-of-antisemitic-post-joining-these-other-companies/?sh=418431934fb3">Apple, Disney and Lionsgate</a>&nbsp;followed suit Friday.</p>



<p>Media Matters did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Forbes.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-background">KEY BACKGROUND</h2>



<p>X, formerly known as Twitter, has also reinstated several accounts for far-right extremists “as part of its creator ad revenue sharing program,” the watchdog claims. The report followed&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/tylerroush/2023/11/16/elon-musk-condemned-after-calling-antisemitic-post-actual-truth/?sh=52519b9f4020">comments</a>&nbsp;from Musk, who endorsed another user’s claims that Jewish communities objecting to antisemitism show “hatred against whites,” which Musk said was the “actual truth.” The user also appeared to endorse a conspiracy theory that was&nbsp;<a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2023/11/elon-musks-disturbing-truth/676019/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">shared</a>&nbsp;by Robert Bowers, who killed 11 people at Pittsburgh’s Tree of Life synagogue in 2018, the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/brianbushard/2023/07/13/pittsburgh-synagogue-shooting-jury-finds-gunman-eligible-for-death-penalty/?sh=766a0c161afe">deadliest</a>&nbsp;attack on Jewish people in U.S. history. Musk was widely&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/tylerroush/2023/11/16/elon-musk-condemned-after-calling-antisemitic-post-actual-truth/?sh=52519b9f4020">condemned</a>&nbsp;for his comments,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/brianbushard/2023/11/17/white-house-condemns-musk-over-abhorrent-promotion-of-antisemitic-and-racist-hate/?sh=2e363a011ea5">including</a>&nbsp;in a statement from the White House that said Musk’s post was an “abhorrent promotion of antisemitic and racist hate.”</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-tangent">TANGENT</h2>



<p>Musk earlier this week also&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1724934935943979269?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1724934935943979269%7Ctwgr%5E9f715cc15d83469cd22b35d1b6fda5bdde5015a6%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.bloomberg.com%2Fnews%2Farticles%2F2023-11-16%2Felon-musk-calls-anti-semitic-post-on-x-the-actual-truth" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">criticized</a>&nbsp;the Anti-Defamation League, the Jewish civil rights group that Musk claims “unjustly attacks the majority of the West, despite the majority of the West supporting the Jewish people and Israel.” Musk accused the group of pushing “de facto anti-white racism.” Musk previously blamed the ADL for X’s 60% decline in ad revenue, claiming the organization had been urging advertisers to pull out of the platform.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-further-reading">FURTHER READING</h2>



<p><a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/tylerroush/2023/11/16/elon-musk-condemned-after-calling-antisemitic-post-actual-truth/?sh=52519b9f4020">Elon Musk Condemned After Calling Antisemitic Post ‘Actual Truth’</a>&nbsp;(<em>Forbes</em>)</p>



<p><a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/brianbushard/2023/11/17/apple-and-disney-pull-x-ads-after-musks-promotion-of-antisemitic-post-joining-these-other-companies/?sh=1c723e1a34fb">Apple And Disney Pull X Ads After Musk’s Promotion Of Antisemitic Post — Joining These Other Companies</a>&nbsp;(<em>Forbes</em>)</p>



<p><a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/brianbushard/2023/11/17/white-house-condemns-musk-over-abhorrent-promotion-of-antisemitic-and-racist-hate/?sh=2e363a011ea5">White House Condemns Musk Over ‘Abhorrent Promotion Of Antisemitic And Racist Hate’</a>&nbsp;(<em>Forbes</em>)</p>


Tag: Twitter X

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Disney Vs. Musk: Right-Wing X Users Push For Disney+ Cancellations As Disney Pulls Ads

Elon Musk Threatens ‘Thermonuclear’ Lawsuit Against Group Reporting Antisemitic X Posts Appearing Near Ads