Stand up for the facts!

Our only agenda is to publish the truth so you can be an informed participant in democracy.
We need your help.

More Info

I would like to contribute

Ciara O'Rourke
By Ciara O'Rourke July 11, 2022

No, Twitter didn’t suspend Elon Musk’s account

If Your Time is short

  • Elon Musk’s Twitter account wasn’t suspended. 
     
  • The account that was suspended had a similar-looking handle but it used a capital "I" instead of a lowercase "l" in the name "Elon."
 
See the sources for this fact-check

After Elon Musk moved to back out of his deal to buy Twitter for $44 billion, the social media company threatened to sue him, but it didn’t suspend his account. 

Still, some social media posts are sharing what looks like evidence that Twitter did. 

"Elon Musk page is suspended on Twitter after backing out of $44B deal," said one Instagram post sharing an image of a Twitter page showing @eIonmusk’s account had been suspended. 

This post was flagged as part of Facebook’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Facebook.)

Musk’s verified Twitter account handle is his name, @elonmusk, and there’s no evidence he was suspended. Musk has been tweeting regularly, including a meme he shared on July 10 mocking Twitter’s legal threats. 

Sign up for PolitiFact texts

An account with a similar-looking handle has been suspended: @eIonmusk with a capital "I" instead of a lowercase "l" in Musk’s first name. A suspension notice on the account’s page does not spell out why it was suspended, but Twitter takes action on accounts with misleading and deceptive identities.

We rate claims that Musk’s account was suspended False.

 

Read About Our Process

The Principles of the Truth-O-Meter

Our Sources

Browse the Truth-O-Meter

More by Ciara O'Rourke

No, Twitter didn’t suspend Elon Musk’s account

Load more

Support independent fact-checking.
Become a member!

In a world of wild talk and fake news, help us stand up for the facts.

Sign me up