On April 1, 2024, Esspots.com published an article [archived here] positing country music star Jason Aldean had rejected a $500 million collaboration opportunity with 14-time Grammy Award winner Taylor Swift. “Her music is woke, no thanks,” he was quoted as saying. But the story was a piece of fiction.

The article began:

Breaking: Jason Aldean Rejects $500 Million Music Collaboration With Taylor Swift, “Her Music Is Woke, No Thanks”

In the realm of music collaborations, big names often come together to create something magical. But when it comes to aligning with artists whose ideologies don’t resonate, even the allure of millions can’t seal the deal. Jason Aldean, a country music star known for his authenticity, recently made headlines by turning down a staggering $500 million offer to collaborate with pop sensation Taylor Swift. In an industry where partnerships can skyrocket careers, Aldean’s bold move sends a clear message: authenticity trumps all, even at the expense of enormous financial gain.

The claim made its way to Facebook, where a post by account @SpaceX Fanclub received more than 23,000 reactions and 3,600 comments, as of this writing.

This item was not a factual recounting of real-life events. Esspots.com describes its output as being humorous or satirical in nature, as follows:

Welcome to Esspots.com, a website that specializes in satire, parody, and humor. Before you proceed to read our content, we would like to emphasize that nothing on this website is real. All of the articles, stories, and commentary found on Esspots.com are entirely fictitious and created for the purpose of entertainment only.

We’ve previously reported on other satirical claims made by Esspots.com, including that Kid Rock and Jason Aldean’s tour had surpassed Taylor Swift in concert attendance records and that ABC fired Jimmy Kimmel and Stephan Colbert.

For background, here is why we sometimes write about satire/humor.