Failed GOP gubernatorial candidate Caitlyn Jenner accused Twitter on Thursday, without any real evidence, of shadow-banning her because she was hired by Fox News as a pundit.
Furthermore, she called on billionaire edgelord Elon Musk to take over the “woke” social-media giant while repeatedly griping about how her “engagements went down dramatically.”
Late last month, and amid Fox News coming under fire for its increasingly hostile anti-LGBTQ rhetoric, the network announced it had hired Jenner. “She is a trailblazer in the LGBTQ+ community,” Fox News CEO Suzanne Scott declared of the Olympic champion. Jenner, however, assured viewers in her first appearance as a network contributor that she is no “trans activist.”
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Appearing on America Reports on Thursday to discuss Musk’s proposed $43 billion takeover offer of Twitter, Jenner was asked by co-anchor John Roberts about the Tesla founder’s assertion that he wants to “fix” the “broken” platform.
Jenner, for her part, first wanted to talk about her own Twitter following.
“I love Elon Musk, I agree with him 100 percent,” she replied. “You know, I love Twitter. I’ve used it for years. My family was really involved in Twitter from the beginning and helped build the platform.”Jenner continued: “I joined in 2015 and broke the world record—I got a Guinness Book of World Records—the fastest ever to one million followers. I did it in four hours and two minutes!” After saying that she enjoys using Twitter to “really stimulate conversation,” Jenner then leaned on a well-worn right-wing trope that the platform is stealthily censoring her because of her conservatism.
Of course, she offered no proof other than pure vibes.
“And then two weeks ago, guess what? I joined Fox News and guess what happened? I got shadow-banned on Twitter!” Jenner exclaimed. “My engagements went down dramatically and I was absolutely shocked.”
She went on to say Twitter and other companies like Disney—the latest conservative bogeyman—have become captive to their “woke employees in this woke moment we have out there.” It didn’t take long for Jenner to once again complain about her perceived decline in likes and mentions.
“I got shadow-banned. My reach is much less today,” she grumbled without offering any evidence yet again. “I hope Elon Musk comes in here and changes this. Because these woke companies are not going to survive, I don’t think, in the future.”
Co-anchor Gillian Turner then pointed out that while it’s “potentially great” that a self-described “champion of free speech” could be in charge of a social media platform, “all the decisions are made by algorithms.” Ironically and despite conservatives’ gripes to the contrary, Twitter’s own research showed that their algorithms actually favor right-leaning views and content.
“It’s not as if Elon Musk is going to sit there making decisions, you know, himself when it comes to what stays and what goes on the platform,” Turner added. “Do you really think that ownership could make a tremendous, you know, the difference that is needed? Can the system be overhauled?”Jenner, meanwhile, seemed preoccupied with her belief that working for Fox News could impact her high-profile TV opportunities elsewhere.
“I certainly hope so. I am 100 percent behind free speech,” she responded. “You know what I do, I do The View a lot, and now that – I don’t think I’ll be doing it in the future, but obviously I am what I would consider a common-sense conservative. But I do The View. Why do I do it? I love a good debate.”
