Meta and YouTube Reverse Course on Ads for 'Musk' Documentary; TikTok and X Hold Out

Meta and YouTube said on September 26, 2026, that they would run paid advertisements for "Musk," a documentary about Elon Musk, after the platforms had initially rejected the trailer ads. TikTok and X have not run the ads, according to TechCrunch and Awards Radar.

The film and the ads

"Musk" is directed by Academy Award-winning filmmaker Alex Gibney and distributed in the US by Bleecker Street, according to TechCrunch and Awards Radar. TechCrunch reported that the film runs nearly four hours and premiered at the Venice International Film Festival. Awards Radar noted it also screened at the Toronto International Film Festival.

When Bleecker Street tried to buy paid ads for the film's trailer, several platforms turned them down. According to TechCrunch, TikTok and Meta cited restrictions on political content, and YouTube's system temporarily restricted the ad as political content. X also declined the ads.

Awards Radar reported that the platforms pointed to political content as the reason. The outlet noted that the trailer includes a shot of a 2024 political rally and a reference to the 2024 election, and questioned whether that makes it campaign advertising. Meta and TikTok do not allow campaign or political ads, Awards Radar noted.

The reversals

Meta changed its position. "This was an error and the ads are being restored," the company said, according to TechCrunch.

YouTube also reversed its decision. "When submitted as an ad, it was temporarily restricted by our system. Following review the ad has been cleared to run," YouTube posted, according to TechCrunch.

Awards Radar reported that TikTok and X had stayed quiet and continued not to run the ad.

X's position

X is owned by Musk, the subject of the documentary. TechCrunch reported that Musk himself rejected the ad for X and noted that he has publicly insulted Gibney in a post on the platform, which made the rejection unsurprising.

At the start of the dispute, the distributor was unable to buy trailer ads on any of the four platforms. The film's critical reception has been strong: TechCrunch reported that it holds a 100% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

Why it matters

Ad policies on political content are written broadly, and automated systems enforce many of them. The case shows how a film trailer with a brief clip of a political rally can be swept up by those rules, and how decisions can change quickly once they draw public attention. It also highlights the position of X, a major ad platform owned by the subject of a film that wants to advertise there.

Sources

This article was drafted with AI assistance and checked against the sources above. Company claims are reported as claims. Cover image is AI-generated.