Amidst speculations about billionaire Elon Musk planning to buy MSNBC, a video of MSNBC presenter Rachel Maddow has gone viral on social media, showing her “breaking down” live on air.
As the video went viral on X, several users alleged that she was crying because Musk posted memes about purchasing MSNBC.
The Tesla CEO posted a meme with the caption, “And lead us not into temptation....,” with a picture of a woman exposing herself next to what looks to be a priest trying to maintain his chastity.
The clip, which featured the same meme Musk uploaded, shows Maddow getting emotional live on air.
Sharing the clip, one user wrote: “Drama queen extraordinaire, Rachel Maddow, cries over meme on national TV when she realises Elon could become her boss.”
Reacting to the video, one person wrote: “No he won't be her boss, as he will sack her.”
"and rachel madCow earned US$30 MILLION per year to do a one hour show per week! It was recently reduced to US$25 MILLION a year, “go cry me a river Rachel!” another chimed in.
{{/usCountry}}"and rachel madCow earned US$30 MILLION per year to do a one hour show per week! It was recently reduced to US$25 MILLION a year, “go cry me a river Rachel!” another chimed in.
{{/usCountry}}“He's gotta buy it now,” a third user wrote, while the fifth commented, “She's crying because she knows her cash cow is coming to an end.”
Other X users highlight the truth about Rachel Maddow's viral clip
Meanwhile, some users reminded that the clip is a doctored video. “It’s fake… a doctored video of this,” one wrote.
Yes, it is true! It's a fake video of Maddow sobbing over Musk's meme. The presenter burst into tears in the original 2018 broadcast after reading about migrant children being “separated” from their parents and placed in shelters.
The phrase “Elon Musk trying not to buy” was superimposed on the priest in the meme that the SpaceX CEO shared, and an MSNBC logo was positioned over the woman's butt. The meme surfaced amid rumors that Comcast, the parent company of the news channel, was contemplating about putting almost all of its cable networks like MSNBC and CNBC into a new firm called SpinCo.
According to The Ankler, Maddow has agreed to a $5 million pay reduction as the channel's future becomes more dubious. She would now be taking $25 million annual income for the next five years.
The win of Donald Trump has left the channel at a crossroads. Nielsen data shows that ratings dropped to 40 percent as compared to this time last year. However, executives are holding out hope that viewers would return in the same manner as they did in 2016 once Trump's took over his duties.