Advertisements promoting a documentary scrutinizing controversial billionaire Elon Musk were reportedly prohibited from TikTok and X initially, but have now been approved for display on YouTube and Meta’s social media platforms after a brief delay.
The trailer for the nearly four-hour documentary named Musk was released on Thursday in anticipation of its theatrical premiere on Oct. 9.
On Friday, indie distributor Bleecker Street faced rejection from all four companies when attempting to purchase ads for the documentary on their platforms. YouTube, TikTok, and Meta (the parent company of Facebook and Instagram) cited “political content” as the reason for the rejection, while X, Musk’s company, did not provide any comments.
Following an online backlash, YouTube confirmed on Saturday that ads for Musk are now being shown on the platform.
“The ad was temporarily restricted by our system upon submission,” stated YouTube through its updates account on X. “After undergoing review, the ad has been approved for display.”
A spokesperson from Meta informed CBC News on Monday that the ads had been mistakenly rejected and have since been reinstated, without offering further details.
Bleecker Street, TikTok, and X did not respond to requests for comments.
TikTok does not allow paid political ads, while Meta imposes restrictions on them in certain regions like the European Union. YouTube permits political ads with transparency disclosures, and X allows them in regions such as the U.S.
Musk’s political involvement gained prominence when he supported the re-election of U.S. President Donald Trump in 2024 and subsequently served in his administration as the head of the Department of Government Efficiency, known for budget cuts. Although he has since departed from the administration, Musk continues to be a polarizing and outspoken figure.
Although the trailer of Musk includes snippets from his campaign appearances, it is unclear how this categorizes it as campaign ads subject to the platforms’ restrictions.
One of the documentary’s focal points is the alleged attempt by the world’s wealthiest individual to influence online discourse, delving into his acquisition of Twitter (now X) and accusations that Musk, despite championing free speech, may have misused his Starlink satellites to impact the 2024 election unfairly.
‘Censorious platforms’
Following the approval of the ads by YouTube and Meta, director Alex Gibney credited public pressure for the reversal.
“The censorious platforms relented,” he noted on X on Saturday.
Gibney subsequently shared a 2022 quote from a Musk press release regarding his Twitter acquisition, emphasizing the importance of free speech for a functional democracy and Twitter’s role as the digital forum for critical discussions.
“Will X allow ads for the trailer of my documentary ‘Musk,’ focusing on the self-proclaimed ‘free-speech absolutist?'” he questioned.
Since announcing the documentary in 2023, Musk has consistently denounced it as a “hit piece.”
He criticized Gibney on X, referring to him as “a terrible person” and “