--- title: "YouTube and Meta restore ads for Musk documentary" description: "TikTok and Elon Musk’s own platform X continue to refuse paid ads for the film about him" author: "rews desk" published: 2026-09-28T19:48:21.123Z modified: 2026-09-30T00:06:34Z url: https://rews.cc/a/youtube-and-meta-restore-ads-for-musk-documentary-57eabe language: en tags: ["musk", "x", "tiktok", "documentary", "censorship", "tech"] publisher: "Rews (https://rews.cc)" --- # YouTube and Meta restore ads for Musk documentary *TikTok and Elon Musk’s own platform X continue to refuse paid ads for the film about him* By rews desk · September 28, 2026 · https://rews.cc/a/youtube-and-meta-restore-ads-for-musk-documentary-57eabe ## In brief - YouTube and Meta restore ads for the documentary “Musk” after initially rejecting them - TikTok and X, owned by Musk, continue to refuse the ads - Meta called its rejection “an error”; YouTube said the ad was “temporarily restricted” by its system - Director Alex Gibney says “the censorious platforms backed down” - Film premiered at Venice on Sept. 8; opens in U.S. theaters Oct. 9 YouTube and Meta reversed decisions to reject paid advertising for a documentary about Elon Musk, restoring ads for the film’s trailer within days of blocking them, the companies said over the weekend. TikTok and X, the platform Musk owns, continued to refuse the ads, according to [the Hollywood Reporter](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/digital/youtube-meta-musk-trailer-ad-1236712540/), which first reported the rejections on Friday and the reversals two days later. The trailer for “Musk,” a nearly four-hour documentary directed by Alex Gibney, was released on Thursday ahead of the film’s Oct. 9 theatrical release. Distributor Bleecker Street said it was rejected by YouTube, TikTok, Meta and X when it tried to buy ads for the trailer, according to [the Hollywood Reporter’s initial report](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/digital/elon-musk-documentary-trailer-rejected-tiktok-youtube-1236710259/). [![MUSK Official Trailer (2026, Alex Gibney, Elon Musk)](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/1UjoHJK7_TQ/hqdefault.jpg)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1UjoHJK7_TQ) The official trailer for “Musk,” the documentary at the center of the ad dispute, posted to the film’s YouTube channel. Video: Trailer World · YouTube Meta, TikTok and YouTube initially cited policies on political content, according to Canadian broadcaster [CBC](https://www.cbc.ca/news/entertainment/musk-documentary-ads-blocked-youtube-meta-tiktok-9.7361211). X did not comment on its rejection, CBC reported. YouTube said in a post from its updates account on X on Saturday that the ad “was temporarily restricted by our system” when submitted and had “been cleared to run” after review. A Meta spokesperson told CBC on Monday that the ads “were rejected in error and have been restored,” without giving further detail. TikTok and Meta do not permit paid political advertising in some markets, a policy Meta adopted after the Cambridge Analytica data scandal, according to the Hollywood Reporter. YouTube allows political ads if they carry paid-for disclosures, while X permits such ads in regions including the United States. It remained unclear how the trailer, which includes brief clips of Musk at 2024 campaign events, qualified as the type of political advertising the platforms’ policies were designed to restrict. X refused to take calls from Bleecker Street about the film and has also declined to accept advertising for other upcoming Bleecker Street releases, according to the Hollywood Reporter. Musk wrote on X after the film’s Venice Film Festival premiere this month that it was worth less respect than “dogshit,” the outlet reported. ## Director calls platforms ‘censorious’ Gibney wrote on X on Saturday, after YouTube and Meta reversed their decisions, that “the censorious platforms backed down.” > Will X allow ads for the trailer for my film ‘Musk,’ about the self-proclaimed ‘free-speech absolutist?’ Gibney posted that question on X alongside a 2022 quote from Musk’s press release announcing his purchase of Twitter, in which Musk said “free speech is the bedrock of a functioning democracy, and Twitter is the digital town square where matters vital to the future of humanity are debated.” Musk has called the documentary a “hit piece” since Gibney announced the project in 2023. After the film’s Venice debut, Musk called Gibney “a horrible human” and “a bitter old man who lost the plot long ago” on X, and reportedly threatened legal action over the film’s claims about his Starlink satellites, according to CBC. The dispute followed [earlier reporting](https://rews.cc/a/no-one-will-take-bleecker-street-s-money-social-platforms-de-f5b376) that social platforms were declining to accept paid promotion for the film. Bleecker Street, TikTok and X did not respond to requests for comment from CBC. The documentary examines Musk’s business empire and political influence, including his leadership of the Department of Government Efficiency under President Donald Trump and allegations that he used his Starlink satellite network to affect the 2024 election. Musk did not participate in the film. It premiered at the Venice International Film Festival on Sept. 8 and is set for wide theatrical release on Oct. 16, with HBO Max, which financed the production, expected to air it afterward. ## See also - [MUSK Official Trailer (2026, Alex Gibney)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1UjoHJK7_TQ) — youtube.com · The trailer at the center of the ad dispute - [Musk (film) — Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Musk_%28film%29) — en.wikipedia.org · Background on the documentary, its premiere and release dates - [Techdirt: YouTube and Meta reverse course on Musk documentary ads](https://www.techdirt.com/2026/09/28/youtube-and-meta-reverse-course-on-musk-documentary-ads-x-unsurprisingly-does-not/) — techdirt.com · Analysis of the platforms' ad-moderation policies