Video does not show MSNBC host Rachel Maddow reacting to Elon Musk meme

The claim

A viral post on X features a video of MSNBC host Rachel Maddow allegedly reacting to a meme shared by Elon Musk, mocking the idea of Musk buying MSNBC. In the video, Maddow appears to nervously laugh and struggle to hold back tears while hosting her eponymous news show.

The post, with the caption "Rachel Maddow has a bizarre breakdown on air about a harmless and funny meme @elonmusk posted about potentially buying the broken @MSNBC," has gained five million views so far and spread to other platforms, like Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok.

However, the video is edited and misattributed. Maddow's reaction was not in response to Musk's meme, but to an entirely different news story from 2018. Therefore, the claim is false.

In fact

The video was initially shared on X on November 24, with a comment noting it was a "meme". However, some users have shared the claim outside of its satirical context or were confused about its authenticity. The false narrative persisted in other viral posts featuring the same video, despite some users attempting to clarify that it was satire.

The video originates from 2018, when Rachel Maddow was reporting a breaking news story based on an Associated Press report about the Trump administration's establishment of at least three "tender age" shelters to detain babies and young children forcibly separated from their parents at the U.S.-Mexico border.

During the broadcast, Maddow struggled to get through the segment and appeared visibly emotional. She requested, likely from her studio team, to display a graphic on screen, possibly to mask her tearful expression. However, in the original video, the graphic is not shown. Instead, she ends the segment and signs off.

In the altered version of the video, an Elon Musk meme is inserted at the point where Maddow originally requested the graphic. This was later flagged in Community Notes, which clarified that the video is outdated and unrelated to Elon Musk.

In 2018, after the broadcast, Maddow addressed the situation on X, writing, "Ugh, I'm sorry. If nothing else, it is my job to actually be able to speak while I'm on TV." She then explained the news story she was trying to report, which had originally been published by the Associated Press.

The verdict

The video does not show Rachel Maddow reacting to an Elon Musk meme. Instead, it captures her 2018 response to news about the Trump administration establishing at least three "tender age" shelters to detain babies and young children separated from their parents at the U.S.-Mexico border.