--- title: "MSN Ran a Story About Grimes and Elon Musk That’s Completely Fake" description: "If you caught that MSN story alleging that Grimes took to Twitter to publicly ask ex-boyfriend Elon Musk to pay child support, uncatch it. It's fake." date: "2022-11-09" modified: "2022-11-09" authors: - name: "Maggie Harrison Dupré" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/mharrison" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/story-grimes-elon-musk-fake" categories: - "Elon Musk" - "Future Society" - "The Industrialists" tags: - "elon musk" - "grimes" - "Media" - "the digest" --- # MSN Ran a Story About Grimes and Elon Musk That’s Completely Fake ![If you caught that MSN story alleging that Grimes took to Twitter to publicly ask ex-boyfriend Elon Musk to pay child support, uncatch it. It's fake.]() *\Image: Gilbert Carrasquillo/GC Images\* ## Actual Fake News If you caught [that *MSN* stor]()y alleging that Grimes took to Twitter on Oct 31 to publicly ask ex-boyfriend Elon Musk to pay child support, uncatch it. It may have waded its way to the top of the Google Newscharts, but it's complete and total BS. The article, [first published]() by gossip site *Inquisitr* and subsequently picked up by *MSN* and distributed on its immense news network, is based on a screenshot of a so-called Grimes tweet. In the screenshot, the musician can be seen "responding" to a Musk post asking Twitter users to start coughing up eight dollars per month for a blue verification check, requesting that her ex pay up on his end, too — by providing child support for their [shared]() [kids](). This exchange, however, was completely fake. The screenshot is obviously doctored and marked as fake by Twitter, and was even circulated by a clearly marked parody account. Reviewing Grimes' feed, it never appeared there. But the *Inquisitr* writer — whose byline, in another red flag, simply reads "chisom," with no last name, while their bio is riddled with typos — treated the fake exchange as very real, and *MSN* clearly didn't take the time to apply any common sense scrutiny. ## Extremely Questionable Futurism reached out to both *Inquisitr* and *MSN* for comment, as well as reporting the story to *MSN* via its mechanism for flagging misinformation, but neither outlet responded. Look, we get that *Inquisitr* isn't exactly the most trustworthy content mill out there. But *MSN*, which is very widely circulated, [promises on its site]() that it leverages "human oversight to ensure that the content we show aligns with our values and that crucial information features prominently in our experiences." Unless their standards are way, way lower than we imagined, this slip-up is a glaring contradiction to that promise. If there's any lesson, here? Media literacy is important. Don't believe everything you read on the internet, kids. **More on misinformation:** *[Research Confirms TikTok Is a Cesspool of Misinformation]()* ## Author At Futurism, I've reported extensively on the rise of AI as a cultural and business force shaping the media industry, and more broadly how those dynamics are changing how we all consume and share information and relate to one another. I'm also fascinated by public health policy and ethics, the role of emerging tech in politics and governance — and the powerful people and forces at those intersections — climate change, and the environment. My investigation on Sports Illustrated's use of AI-generated authors with fictional biographies won a 2024 Mirror Award for "Best Story on Media Coverage of Artificial Intelligence in Journalism and the Media" from Syracuse University's SI Newhouse School, I contributed to Niemen Lab's 2025 Predictions for Journalism series, and I've discussed my work for Futurism during appearances on NPR, CNN, the BBC, the CBC, and more. I grew up in rural Pennsylvania and attended the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where I played Division I field hockey for the Minutewomen as a midfielder. Since then, I've lived in New Orleans, Louisiana and Manhattan, New York. I spend my free time running, reading, perusing archival fashion, and searching for the world’s best negroni. I also have a debonair tuxedo cat, Westley, who's named after "The Princess Bride." ### Author social links [Bluesky]()