Satirical story about Candace Owens trying to ban Taylor Swift from the NFL spreads without context

Conservative commentator Candace Owens has been critical of singer Taylor Swift, but claims she’s trying to bar Swift from the NFL originated on fake news pages. 

"BREAKING: Candace Owens vows to have Taylor Swift banned from the next NFL season, ‘she’s awfully woke,’" a June 18 Facebook post said. 

It was flagged as part of Meta’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram.)

We found a nearly identical post — same words, different pictures of Owens and Swift — from Feb. 15, when the SpaceX Fanclub account posted it on Facebook. 

The catch, as the account says on its page: "We post SATIRE, nothing on this page is real."

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stated on June 15, 2024 in a Facebook post

Caitlin Clark has been named to the U.S. women’s Olympic basketball team after Brittney Griner was released for “undisclosed reasons.”

We looked for other sources to corroborate the claim, such as credible news reporting or public statements from Owens, but found none. 

In May, Owens said on X that former Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce had been "brainwashed by radical feminists (like the one your brother is dating)." 

Swift is in a relationship with Jason Kelce’s brother, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce. Her regular presence at Chiefs games after they started dating drew some of her fans to watch the Chiefs, and attracted some detractors critical of the superstar’s airtime during games. 

But we rate claims Owens is trying to ban Swift from the league False.