Fact Check: Did Morgan Freeman once say he was a ‘huge fan’ of Elon Musk?

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has been making headlines lately. His electric vehicle company recently faced backlash and saw a dip in share prices as people expressed anger over Musk's controversial political views and government policies.

Amid all this, a rumor online claimed that veteran actor Morgan Freeman once said he was a "huge fan" of Elon Musk. But is there any truth to this? Let us find out below.

Claim: Morgan Freeman once said he was a 'huge fan' of Elon Musk

In March 2025, a quote attributed to actor Morgan Freeman circulated online where he allegedly said he was a "huge fan" of multi-billionaire Elon Musk.

The actor's alleged comments were, "I'm a huge fan of Elon, and I think he's got the most incredibly forward-thinking ideas about where we can go technologically. What he's done—nobody else has ever done."

The claim spread across several social media platforms such as X, Facebook, and Bluesky and garnered thousands of views.

A page on Bluesky shared the claim writing, "'I’m A Huge Fan': Clip Of Morgan Freeman Praising Elon Musk Resurfaces: Freeman gushed in 2016 about Musk’s potential to transform the world in positive ways, but his alignment with Donald Trump, and his deep embrace of far-right ideology should have revealed… #blacknews #blackstories #blackandproud."

True: Morgan Freeman did make the statement in 2016

The claims made in the online posts are true as Morgan Freeman did make such comments in 2016, according to Snopes.

Freeman said this before Musk got involved in politics and began taking highly controversial stands on public issues, per the fact-checking outlet.

The 'Shawshank Redemption' actor made the comments during an interview with CNBC's Carl Quintanilla on September 6, 2016.

During the interview, Quintanilla asked Freeman, "Is it true that on shoots you're sometimes checking your phone to see what the stock market's doing?" and the actor said, "Yeah."

The host then asked, "Any stocks in particular?" and Freeman replied, "I own Tesla. Yeah. I'm a huge fan of Elon Musk, and I think he's got the most incredibly forward-thinking ideas about where we can go technologically."

He added, "He's, you know, what he's done nobody else has ever done. He's landed a rocket ship so it's reusable, what a feat that is. Now we're taking off, we're going to be going to Mars, delivering stuff to people who are going to be settling there just like they settled the Old West, and bringing those ships back and landing them and reloading them."

Interestingly, Musk shared a clip of the interview in April 2024 and wrote, "Morgan Freeman is awesome." He also reposted the video on March 15, 2025, per Snopes.

A lot has changed since Freeman's 2016 interview. Musk’s recent political engagements mark a significant departure from his earlier image as a tech innovator.

Elon Musk urges Tesla employees to hold onto their stocks

Meanwhile, Elon Musk has urged Tesla employees to stay committed as the company’s stock continues to dip amid backlash.

The company's CEO sought to reassure workers that Tesla’s future is bright despite growing controversy and financial struggles during a company-wide meeting on Thursday, March 20, The Guardian reported.

Musk said, "There are times when there are rocky moments. But what I’m here to tell you is that the future is incredibly bright and exciting, and we’re going to do things that no one has even dreamed of."

Musk's plea came as Tesla's stock price plunged nearly 50 percent, driven by backlash over his political ties, including his role in Donald Trump’s administration, per the outlet.

Musk added during the meeting, "If you read the news, it feels like Armageddon. I understand if you don’t want to buy our product, but you don’t have to burn it down. That’s a bit unreasonable."