437 Comments

Mr.Moore... saying a bunch of shit your audience wants to hear is what FOX does.... WTF are you doing? I see zero reporting of this. Did I miss some disclaimer? Are you a fan of Orson Well's War of the Worlds? We deserve better..

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We DO deserve better after all we've endured...I'm through with MM

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It’s an Orson move.

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Wait please!! did this happen? Did Rupert Murdoch apologize? I can’t find it anywhere! Please confirm.

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It is satire, I believe.

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If it’s satire, it’s not funny. Not at all. He never said that it was. If it was really him, how dare he. I f-fing pay to listen to him and trust that he is always telling the truth. I will end my subscription immediately now. Booo, Michael Moore, you’ve lost all credibility.

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I know! I was a bit peeved as I almost instantly began to realize it was a satirical sendup. What made it all even better was that from Murdochs apology and shut-down of the Fox “News” network to Tucker first stating he was a dick, was exactly what we all hoped for and frankly deserved to witness.

Instead the reality is that the largest award for a slander suit was simply the cost of doing business for that evil scumbag.

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Everything about FOX is funny!

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Apr 24, 2023·edited Apr 24, 2023

Fox SHOULD be funny, but it's not. Not when you consider the important role they played in empowering ignorant people, getting Trump elected, dividing the country and actually endangering our democracy. THEY NEED TO BE GONE.

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Chill out and stop being so quick to "cancel". .

Surely you don't think a man falling on a sword would be televised.

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don't pay anymore~ you can still listen to it though~

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It sounded like something Fox News would broadcast. Way beyond believable. I wish they were going off the air.

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You will find that the station is off the air if you Google it. They did it in the wee morning hours because they wanted to do it their way - so most wouldn't see it. Thank you Michael Moore for sharing this. I feel a tremendous sense of relief that people can receive news reported fair and balanced - and maybe vote a democratic ballot.

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I couldn’t find it anywhere. Glad you did. Very strange.

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As far as I can tell, they are still very much on the air. Back in the day, Moore had the rep for being impossible to work with. Now you can see why.

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My wife and I rejoiced to the point of tears at the news - simultaneously we were dumfounded as to why we hadn't heard anything about this yet. Unlike Fox listeners, we immediately fact checked as it seemed too great to be true - nothing anywhere. Then we read the comments. We all make mistakes, but this is, perhaps, unforgivable. So disappointing in this not being real, so disappointing in the decision to do it. It's depressing. We don't understand why it was done. From two Canadians who struggle to remain hopeful for your society.

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Its a birthday present to himself.

Maybe a disclaimer at the start would have been better because this seemed to piss people off. But once Tucker called himself a dick, I knew this was fiction. It just got wilder and more unbelievable.

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Yep, no disagreement, it became obvious it was a lark. This does not negate the sense of a massive let-down. And, yes, a disclaimer up front would have been better. See my second post:

Following up on my previous comment, I'm certainly not dismissing the incredible work that Michael has done, nor will I be cancelling my subscription. However, as I said, I was really disappointed that Micheal chose to do this, and not because I'm humourless, gullible, or don't appreciate satire. For the few seconds this seemed real, I was elated. For the few minutes it took to to verify my suspicion this wasn't a dream come true, painful. Seems a lot of Micheal's subscribers are as unimpressed by this as I am. I don't condemn, belittle, or judge those who were fine with this podcast. It's further sadness, however that those on this thread who disagree with me don't seem to hold the same degree of respect for my opinion. Truly sad that this podcast has added further division in a society that can not afford any more. Your Canadian friends.

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Well said! I'm sorry Canadians have to think about this at all. If it wasn't so cold in the wintertime, I would live there in a heartbeat.

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Lol, fair enough! Thank you for your reply. Keep in mind, our South West Coast is pretty mild :)

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Too many people already know that--can't afford to live there....

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I apologize for any American display of disrespect toward your comments, they were thoughtful and well articulated. We Americans can become very emotionally reactive/explosive, which is what has us all living in a powder keg culture of lies. This was not fun or funny and I typically love a good laugh. You are better than this, Michael.

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Thanks for your reply! Appreciate the sentiment - we certainly have our fair share of reactive folk up here too!

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I fell for this. I am really bummed. I believed it all-- I yelled through the house, Fox News is off the Air. They have capitulated. You shouldn't do this to us, Michael. You just produced fake news yourself. Are we your listeners as gullible as the Fox News believers! Please set the record straight.

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Yep. Boo Michael moore!

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That you fell for this is ENTIRELY the point Michael Moore was trying to make. It is a brilliant piece of satire. See how easily we fall for it, just as Fox viewers licked up and devoured all the lies.

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Yes, I get that. But he has never purported to be a satirist. And he could have just said here is my fantasy. Then we could have enjoyed the whole diatribe. He will lose some of his regulars over this. I will bet on that.

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Excellent analysis Jane! I posted the same type of analysis, making fun out of FOX NEWS, don’t take anything about FOX NEWS seriously. Yes, we human creatures are susceptible to reaction instead of proaction. We must teach ourselves to think before acting out.

Yes, if we grasshoppers are to advance as a species we must be smarter than the average bear!

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Google it -- Fox is off the air and no longer broadcasting.

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No, it isn’t.

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Yes: it is very much ON the air.

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??

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WTF. Not funny. Thought you were credible. Why would you broadcast this fantasy

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Apr 24, 2023·edited Apr 24, 2023

It was obviously satire AFTER about 7 minutes, but BEFORE that, it sounded like such good news, I paused the podcast and shared the news and was made to feel like an idiot.

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Same here. I started to tell my boyfriend and then said “Wait a minute. Put FOX on.” Sure enough, there it was big as life! FOX WAS still on the air. The only other people that listen to Michael Moore’s podcast that I know are my sister and my daughter. My sister listened to it and felt as confused as I was. A few disappointed fans here too Michael!

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Well, I have a pretty high IQ (135) and I believed it. What a jerk.

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Gloria, does that mean you believed the part before that about Guiliani and Sidney Powell making out? That was funny, but in a kind of sickening way.

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I'll join your minority

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I do not know you but I wish you every good though and healing🙏Thank you for posting your referral to Carolynn Myss, I am excited to listen☺️

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Could you take a minute to respond to our comments. It seems people are upset. I know I am a bit upset. Nowhere did you say : no this is a dream. This is a fantasy. And I wish it were true - but you kept going with it .

That was a lot for people to take I think.

It would be appreciated if you could come on as soon as possible and speak about why you did this. It’s not that it’s not not forgivable. All is forgiven already, but it would be nice and helpful for you to explain.

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Horrified that he did this...no excuses..I'm off MM

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This is a first for him, I believe. He is a mere mortal. He assumed we would catch on quickly, which we should have. It was a good lesson as to how people can swallow what common sense should tell them is not true. Yes, because he is a truth teller we expected truth. But at some point there had to be an inkling that this was not true. And maybe we are mad at him because we trust him and maybe we are mad at ourselves for being gullible. We would all like to believe Fox apologized. So much so that we almost fell for it. I think he thought we were too savvy to believe it. And in the end we were. Let’s not burn him at the stake.

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He’s a schmuck. I’m canceling my subscription.

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Me too

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Linda, plain or peanut?

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deletedApr 24, 2023·edited Apr 24, 2023
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Having slept on this, I’ve decided what annoyed me. I specifically chose to listen to his 30 minute podcast expecting factual information before unwinding for my very early bedtime. If I wanted humor or satire as people are defining it I would have watched my Seinfeld reruns as usual. False advertising, Michael.

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Making fun about FOX is the whole idea. Lesson: Don’t take anything about FOX News seriously!

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Some major fallout! The dominoes have begun the match!

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Really Tucker Carlson is gone? YOU'RE not fucking with us now, are you??

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So the fault lays with the listeners who were Too Stupid, just like the Fox viewers? It will be interesting if this is Michael's response to the backlash here.

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I'm sure you're right. But it would also be good if he would just come onto the conversation stream and explain himself. I was one of the naive ones who bought into it and now trying to talk my elderly sister down off the ledge because her hopes were over the moon.

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deletedApr 24, 2023·edited Apr 24, 2023
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Agreed

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It is possible to make a point like this and also to have it be very funny. Jon Stewart is a great example of somebody who can do this.

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We all know that Jon Stewart is a comedian. Very different.

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Stewart is one thing. Moore doesn’t come close.

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Yes exactly! America has been hijacked since 911. We are the champions of satire! I say let’s return to the day’s of MAD Magazine!

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So I’ve had some time now to read the comments and think more about this. I think the problem comes down to if you want to do satire/fantasy. It would’ve been perfect to say here’s my birthday wish or some such. Then there’s a thing called a hoax; by insisting over and over again how amazed,how he can’t believe this is true.l. - that emphasis was more on the side of a hoax than a satire. Yes create the “” apologies “ and various scenarios and descriptions. But Insisting the truth of what all these listeners are about to hear ..... is on the side of a hoax which is not necessary and edging on why this has become a problem for so many.

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right, after the first few minutes.....clearly satire, and just kept getting more extreme

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Janet

Respectfully disagree. Michael's stunt was mean. We are physically and mentally exhausted trying to process all the news. Here in Akron, we're dealing with a week of protests over a police shooting (man with a broken taillight was shot 43 times.) Downtown stores are boarded up and police are tossing tear gas canisters. Nationally, more mass shootings. Repubs playing chicken with the debt ceiling. Environmental disasters with lake drying up out West. Our collective nerves are shot.

"Fox Apologizes" looked like a ray of sunshine in this dreadful week. We were expecting a pony but got socks. Dick move, Michael.

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well, I had an experience of being really scared and hurt - like some of these people - by a similar "April Fool's joke" - so I feel some compassion.....hope they will get over it and forgive...

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And I would also like to say that, perhaps Michael Moore made a mistake in the way he presented his birthday wish. In the way, he presented what we would all hope might happen - could happen: that people would acknowledge the truth and apologize, and do it do so publicly, and be forthright. That is valuable to hear and express.

And let’s acknowledge that we all make mistakes. ( if indeed, MM does feel he made one - not sure.)

But regardless, Michael Moore has contributed so much that is worthwhile, valuable, meaningful and inspiring to this world. Can we overlook this mistake. I hope so.

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Well put. Everyone is so amped up now with all the horrible events day after day after day. This was painful, not funny.

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Nora, does Michael check in here and respond ever?

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I’m with the “Nutrition Magician”. I’ve been searching up and down trying to verify this story of yours. If it were true, it would be ALL OVER every other news channel, as well as the internet. It’s not, - and I’ve spent a bit of time searching for some sort of corroboration. And it’s not April Fool’s day either. So, what gives? I can’t say that I’m either impressed or enlightened with this particular segment of yours Michael; care to explain?

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the wonderful thing is....you checked it out.....

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Well, so did I. Who WOULDN’T check it out???

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Maybe that's the point. We checked it out.

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If it was believable enough that we checked it out, it was irresponsible for MM to post it.

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Apr 25, 2023·edited Apr 25, 2023

Tell me which of these you thought was real: A hologram of Roger Ailes from years ago before he passed away making a confession about how bad Fox News was going to be, or the pixelated photo showing oral sex between two important Fox people, or Murdoch taking out a sword to commit suicide thereby making himself a hero, but missing the sword because his hand slipped and he then had to be carried off the set? Or any of the other ridiculous scenes Michael painted? What was even remotely believable about this?

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I was hip to the charade by the time of those scenes. But at the beginning, it sounded real and was astonishing enough, that I paused it to tell others about it.

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Why is this not funny? I’m a great fan, but this was a big turnoff.

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it shows that fantasies can be be intoxicating...right...even for those of us who think we know how to tell the difference~

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Not funny at all. Coming from you, I expected truth. It didn’t happen but you managed to get me optimistic for a few minutes. Don’t April Fool us again. You owe us all an apology.

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I'm sorry, but there is NOTHING on Media Matters about this. It is NOT FUNNY. It is heartbreaking. I almost got my hopes up only to have them dashed by an easy to research display of your duplicity. Yes, there were some giveaways, but only in the last five minutes. I do not find this amusing, Mike. Really. I suppose this was a birthday present to yourself--a nice little fantasy at the expense of your longtime listeners. It would have been funnier if you'd taken the time to create a fake broadcast such as you describe. Now it's just a sad, sad gut punch.

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Your birthday should be April 1!

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Thanks Joel. - I was still hoping beyond hope that it was true. You set the record straight.

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Happy birthday, Michael. You had my heart racing there for a minute. If only...

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Happy Birthday MM! I am completely confused by your Rumble today--is it your birthday wish or a dream? I don't see any reporting on this and Fixed is still very much on air. What's going on?

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Fox is off the air -- Google it.

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Yeah? Give me a URL.

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Michael I think this is the birthday present you would hope for in the way that you would hope it would happen. Me too. But you are so convincing I actually have been looking it up and can’t find it - so what’s up then? But happy birthday Michael you’re the best.

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Mr.Moore.. obviously you Punk'd us... standard Internet practice calls for me to call you some names then cancel my subscription... I won't let you off that easily... WHY did you do this? We deserve an explanation.. Answer us...

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Also confused. I’m assuming it’s your own way of enjoying your birthday because it must be a Saturday Night Live video you’re describing. Please remember that we all trust you to tell us the truth. Many Happy Returns🎂

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I don't appreciate this MM...

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