Fact Check: Did Dolly Parton win bid to buy TikTok and save app ahead of its US ban?
BRENTWOOD, TENNESSEE: TikTok’s fate in the United States is now in the hands of the Supreme Court and it's not looking good for the content creation app. The Supreme Court heard oral arguments over the law that could ban the app in the US.
Notably, the law, signed by President Joe Biden in April 2024, requires TikTok to be sold off from its China-based parent company, ByteDance, or face a US ban, according to CNN.
TikTok itself said in its emergency filing to the Supreme Court that if the court doesn’t block the law, it “will take effect on January 19, 2025, shutting down TikTok for its more than 170 million monthly American users".
Amidst all this, a rumor has made its way online claiming that Dolly Parton has won the bid to buy TikTok. But is there any truth to this? Let's find out.
Claim: Dolly Parton won the bid to buy TikTok
A TikTok video went viral on January 7, Tuesday, claiming that Dolly Parton won the bid to buy TikTok. It was posted by @newstomakeyoulaugh and has so far garnered more than 17K likes, according to Distractify.
The viral clip said, "The country music legend known for her hit song 'Jolene', decided to expand her empire into the world of social media. When asked about her plans for the platform, Dolly said: 'Well, honey, I just couldn't have let Trump have all the fun...'"
The video further claimed that Parton was planning to introduce a new feature in the app, known as Dolly Talk where users can recreate videos wearing iconic outfits and wigs, per the outlet.
The video also claimed that Donald Trump was apparently "sulking" at his Palm Beach mansion after losing the bid to Parton.
Furthermore, the viral TikTok clip also had a statement by Parton where she extended her gratitude to everyone who supported her.
False: The viral TikTok clip is fake
Despite the bold claims made in the viral clip, it must be noted that the claims are completely false as the video is AI generated and not real as the page that posted the video has mentioned in their bio "AI Comedy Creator".
Moreover, no media houses have backed the viral claim and there also has been no official statement from Parton or her team. Many fans, who commented on the video, also identified it to be fake, per the outlet.
A user wrote in the video, "Too bad it's AI. This would have been the perfect solution" while one added, "Ugh. Way to break my heart. I really had some hope."
Also, while Trump has said he opposes the ban and will “save” TikTok, he has never expressed any intention to buy the app.
TikTok's possible ban and its consequences
More than 170 million people in the US use TikTok. Lawyers for the company contend that banning the app violates the First Amendment rights of those millions of users. The argument did not sway a federal appeals court, which upheld the ban-or-sale bill in December, according to the Guardian.
Notably, Congress passed the legislation with a bipartisan majority in April 2024. US legislators fear that China will spread propaganda through the app, though they have produced no documentation of such manipulation, per the outlet.
President-elect Trump, who first championed banning the app in 2020, now opposes it as he found a large audience there during the 2024 presidential election.
Moreover, he has filed a brief on TikTok’s behalf to stay the ban until he takes office on January 20. If the court acquiesces, Trump could grant a 90-day extension to TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, to continue seeking a buyer, per MSNBC.
If there is a ban, new users will not be able to download the app from app stores and existing users will not be able to update it, because the law prohibits any entity from facilitating the download or maintenance of the TikTok application.
The US lawmakers told Apple and Alphabet’s Google, which operate the two main mobile app stores, that they must be ready to remove TikTok from their stores on January 19, according to the Guardian.
Notably, TikTok’s 170 million users in the US will probably still be able to use the app as it is already downloaded on their phones, experts say. However, over time, without software and security updates, the app will become unusable.
This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.
