In an extraordinary turn of events that no one saw coming (except maybe Elon Musk), ABC has reportedly lost almost 1 million subscribers overnight.

The cause? A single tweet from none other than the tech billionaire himself, who, following ABC’s controversial moderation of the recent presidential debate, declared the network “unwatchable” and called for a boycott. In true Musk fashion, his legions of followers heeded his call almost instantly, turning what began as a late-night social media gripe into a full-blown media crisis for one of America’s most iconic television networks.

It all started when Elon Musk, fresh off a series of cryptic posts about space travel and cryptocurrency, decided to weigh in on ABC’s handling of the much-anticipated presidential debate between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris. Moderated by David Muir and Linsey Davis, the debate quickly turned contentious, with accusations of bias flying from all sides. Musk, who apparently tuned in with his popcorn ready, was unimpressed by what he saw as blatant favoritism toward Harris.

“ABC is trash,” Musk tweeted late that night, clearly not one to mince words. “They’re a disgrace to journalism. Boycott them. Let’s take ‘em down!”

What started as a seemingly offhand remark from the man who once promised to send Dogecoin to the moon soon took on a life of its own. Within minutes, #BoycottABC was trending across Twitter/X, and the social media giant (which, funnily enough, is owned by Musk) became ground zero for a tidal wave of anti-ABC sentiment. Musk’s followers, ever loyal and always quick to act, immediately began canceling their ABC subscriptions en masse.

By morning, the results were in: ABC had lost close to 1 million subscribers overnight, an exodus so fast and furious that network executives were reportedly scrambling to figure out how to stop the bleeding.

The presidential debate in question, while anticipated to be a heated affair, had no idea it would spark a subscriber purge of this magnitude. Moderators Muir and Davis were tasked with managing the verbal sparring between Trump and Harris, but many viewers, particularly those in Trump’s corner (and Musk’s followers), felt the moderators were far harsher on Trump.

“Trump couldn’t get a word in without being interrupted or fact-checked. It was a joke,” one frustrated viewer said. “Meanwhile, Kamala was basically given free rein to do a TED Talk.”

While presidential debates are always rife with complaints about fairness, it was Elon Musk’s entry into the fray that truly changed the game. Instead of viewers simply tuning out or switching channels, Musk took the bold step of asking his enormous fanbase to take action—and boy, did they ever.

“ABC is just another cog in the biased media machine,” Musk tweeted. “It’s time for the people to fight back. Cancel your subscriptions and show them we won’t stand for this nonsense anymore.”

Musk’s call to action resonated with many of his followers, who see the billionaire as something of a digital crusader for free speech and fairness. Almost immediately, people began canceling their subscriptions to ABC’s streaming services and unfollowing the network’s social media accounts.

“I wasn’t even watching ABC anymore, but if Elon says they’re biased, then I’m out,” one X user tweeted after posting a screenshot of their canceled Hulu subscription. “I trust Elon more than any network.”

ABC, for its part, seemed entirely unprepared for the sheer speed and intensity of the backlash. Within hours, nearly 1 million subscribers had vanished, leaving the network reeling from the unprecedented loss. While ABC is no stranger to political controversy, the combination of Musk’s influence and his massive, engaged fanbase made this incident something entirely different.

As the subscriber count continued to plummet, ABC quickly scrambled to put out a statement, though many viewers saw it as too little, too late.

“ABC remains committed to journalistic integrity and providing balanced coverage of all political events. We take seriously our responsibility to inform the public and welcome constructive dialogue from all viewers,” the network said in a press release.

The vague and somewhat corporate statement did little to quell the rising anger from Musk’s followers, who saw it as further proof that ABC was out of touch with its audience. The hashtag #CancelABC continued to trend throughout the day, with people accusing the network of refusing to address the real issue—what they saw as biased coverage during the debate.

“Elon Musk called them out, and they’re acting like nothing happened,” one user tweeted. “We’re not stupid. We saw the bias. They’ve lost all credibility.”

Elon Musk has always been a master of leveraging social media to his advantage, and this latest incident is no exception. With a single tweet, Musk managed to turn a standard issue of media bias into a full-blown subscriber revolt, showcasing once again the extraordinary influence he holds over public opinion and consumer behavior.

But why target ABC? Some analysts believe Musk’s real gripe with the network goes beyond a single debate. Musk has long been critical of mainstream media, accusing it of unfair coverage not only of politics but of his companies as well. Tesla, SpaceX, and now X (formerly Twitter) have all faced their fair share of media scrutiny, and it’s no secret that Musk isn’t a fan of what he perceives as biased reporting.

“ABC is just the tip of the iceberg,” one media analyst commented. “Musk is sending a message to the entire media landscape: play fair, or face the consequences. He’s proving that he can mobilize millions of people with a single tweet, and that’s incredibly powerful.”

As with any major Musk-related event, the internet didn’t just react—it erupted. Memes of Elon Musk single-handedly toppling ABC flooded social media, with some users joking that Musk could probably “buy ABC and turn it into a rocket launchpad” if he wanted to.

Others joked that this was just another step in Musk’s inevitable rise to becoming the ruler of all media. “Elon Musk is going to buy ABC, rename it ‘XBC,’ and we’re all going to watch debates hosted by his AI robot,” one user quipped.

Still, for all the jokes and memes, there was an underlying sense of real change. For years, mainstream media networks have seemed untouchable, but Musk’s actions showed that even the biggest networks aren’t immune to the power of social media and online movements.

ABC now faces an uncertain future as it grapples with the fallout from Musk’s boycott. Will they issue a more direct response? Will they attempt to regain lost subscribers by tweaking their content or addressing concerns of bias? Or will they simply hope that the storm passes and subscribers return once the dust settles?

For now, the network seems to be in damage-control mode, holding emergency meetings and reportedly discussing ways to win back their audience. But one thing is clear: Elon Musk’s influence is greater than ever, and ABC, along with the rest of the media world, is now painfully aware of the cost of getting on his bad side.