5 Reasons Why Elon Musk’s MSNBC Buying Meme Is Still Causing A 'Legacy Media' Meltdown
The joke that launched a thousand headlines is back in the spotlight. As of December 2025, the infamous meme where tech billionaire Elon Musk casually floated the idea of acquiring the left-leaning cable news network MSNBC continues to generate intense discussion, largely due to the recent, real-world development of Comcast's plans to spin off the network. Originally shared on his platform X (formerly Twitter) in a moment of characteristic online provocation, the crude joke has become a lightning rod for the ongoing, volatile debate over media ownership, perceived bias, and the power of a single billionaire to disrupt the information ecosystem.
The meme, which gained viral traction in late 2024, was a direct response to a suggestion from political commentator Donald Trump Jr., who had publicly mused about the possibility of the network being for sale. While MSNBC is not officially on the market—and is currently undergoing a major corporate restructuring as part of a Comcast/NBCUniversal spin-off—Musk's endorsement of the idea, coupled with his history of high-stakes corporate takeovers like X Corp., transformed a simple online joke into a serious geopolitical talking point, exposing deep anxieties within the "legacy media."
Elon Musk: A Brief Media-Disrupting Biography
Elon Reeve Musk is a South African-born Canadian-American business magnate, investor, and engineer. He is one of the world's wealthiest individuals and a central figure in the technology and space industries. His career has been defined by ambitious, disruptive, and often controversial ventures.
- Born: June 28, 1971, Pretoria, South Africa
- Citizenship: South Africa, Canada, United States
- Education: University of Pennsylvania (B.A. in Physics, B.S. in Economics)
- Key Companies Founded/Co-Founded: Zip2, X.com (later PayPal), SpaceX, Tesla, Inc., The Boring Company, Neuralink, xAI (Grok)
- Major Acquisition: Twitter, Inc. (renamed X Corp. in 2023) for $44 billion in 2022.
- Media Stance: Fierce critic of "legacy media" and "mainstream media," often accusing them of bias and "propaganda." He promotes X as a platform for unfiltered information and free speech.
The Meme, The Context, and The Comcast Spinoff Rumors
The entire premise of the MSNBC meme is rooted in Musk's long-standing, confrontational relationship with traditional news outlets. He frequently criticizes what he terms the "legacy media," arguing that it pushes a biased narrative and functions as "propaganda."
The Crude Joke That Went Viral
The original meme was shared on X and was a bawdy, visual joke implying a physical takeover of the network. It was not a formal announcement but rather a piece of "shitposting" that Musk is known for. The core context was a public suggestion by Donald Trump Jr. that Musk should buy the network, an idea that Musk quickly amplified.
The immediate fallout was a flurry of satirical and panicked responses. A manipulated video, which falsely showed MSNBC host Rachel Maddow breaking down in tears over the news, quickly went viral. This video was a classic example of a "meme response" designed to mock the perceived liberal outrage over the prospect of Musk owning the network.
The Real Business Context: Comcast and MS NOW
What makes the meme's relevance so persistent in late 2025 is the actual, ongoing corporate shakeup at MSNBC's parent company. MSNBC is currently owned by Comcast, via its subsidiary NBCUniversal. Recent reports indicate that Comcast is planning a significant spin-off of several cable assets, including MSNBC, into a new, separate company.
Furthermore, the network is undergoing a rebranding, with some reports indicating a name change to 'MS NOW.' This massive corporate restructuring has fueled speculation that the network is, in effect, "in play," making Musk's joke feel less like an impossibility and more like a potential—albeit remote—billionaire fantasy. The spin-off gives the new entity, Versant, the opportunity to make deals on its own, a detail that keeps the topic fresh and relevant.
The Broader Implications: Media Control and Free Speech
Musk’s meme about buying MSNBC taps into a much larger, more serious debate about the concentration of media power and the future of journalism. His acquisition of Twitter (now X) for $44 billion in 2022 serves as the primary example of his willingness to spend vast sums to control a major information platform.
1. The X Corp. Precedent
The takeover of X was driven by Musk's stated goal of creating a "digital town square" dedicated to "free speech absolutism." Critics, however, argue the platform has since seen a rise in misinformation and hate speech. The MSNBC meme is seen by many as an extension of this philosophy: a desire to "fix" or "re-platform" a major news outlet he views as biased, much like he attempted to do with X.
2. The War on 'Legacy Media'
Musk's consistent attacks on "legacy media" and his encouragement for users to "get their news from X" position him as a direct competitor to traditional news organizations. His criticism often centers on the idea that these outlets are too closely aligned with political establishments or corporate interests. Entities like the New York Times, CNN, and The Washington Post are often the targets of his ire, with MSNBC representing a key pillar of the center-left media landscape.
3. The Joe Rogan Connection
The meme also gained traction following discussions with influential figures like podcaster Joe Rogan. Rogan, who has hosted Musk multiple times, often engages in critical commentary about mainstream news. The synergy between Musk's social media provocations and the reach of popular alternative media figures like Rogan further amplified the idea, turning a simple joke into a cultural moment about media distrust.
4. The Political Polarization Angle
The idea of Musk, who has expressed increasingly right-leaning political views, buying a network widely seen as the home of liberal commentators like Rachel Maddow and Joy Reid, is a potent symbol of America's deep political polarization. The joke, therefore, is less about a business transaction and more about the cultural warfare over who controls the narrative in the United States. The prospect of an "unbiased" MSNBC under Musk is both a dream for his supporters and a nightmare for his detractors.
5. The Financial Reality
Despite the drama, the purchase of a major cable news network is a vastly different proposition from buying a social media platform. The current owner, Comcast, is a multi-national telecommunications conglomerate. While the spin-off creates a theoretical opening, the financial and regulatory hurdles would be immense. For now, the meme remains a powerful piece of performance art—a way for Elon Musk to signal his intent to continue challenging and disrupting the traditional gatekeepers of information, regardless of whether he ever actually buys a single share of the new MS NOW entity.
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