Fact Check: Facebook Did NOT Change Its Hate Speech Policy To Include Posts That Say 'Let's Go Brandon'

Fact Check

  • by: Alexis Tereszcuk
Fact Check: Facebook Did NOT Change Its Hate Speech Policy To Include Posts That Say 'Let's Go Brandon' It's A Joke

Did Facebook change its hate speech policy to forbid posts that say, "Let's go, Brandon"? No, that's not true: The post that made the claim is from an account that clearly states it produces satire and the account posted a message saying it was just a joke. The phrase "Let's go, Brandon" has become a veiled way for conservatives to curse President Joe Biden by referring to a broadcast reporter's mistake: he said NASCAR fans at Talladega Superspeedway were chanting "Let's Go, Brandon" October 2, 2021, when they were actually chanting "Fuck Joe Biden."

The claim appeared as a Facebook post (archived here) on October 20, 2021. It opens:

BREAKING: Facebook to change its hate speech policy to include posts that say, 'Let's go Brandon.'

This is what the post looked like on Facebook at the time of writing:

Facebook screenshot

(Source: Facebook screenshot taken on Fri Oct 22 23:32:50 2021 UTC)

The screenshot of the tweet posted on Facebook reads:

BREAKING: Facebook to change its hate speech policy to include posts that say 'Let's go Brandon.'

'This while thing has gone far enough. It's offensive and really really mean,' said a top executive at the social media company.

The tweet is real and is from the account of conservative commentator Jeff Charles @JeffOnTheRight. His bio description reads: "Host of A Fresh Perspective Podcast.Contributor for RedState and LibertyNation. I spit hot satire."

Here is the original October 19, 2021 tweet:

The Associated Press posted a fact check of the claim, noting Charles told them the tweet was satire and that Facebook had confirmed the company has not changed policy to ban the phrase.

Charles even posted a message on his Twitter account after the AP fact check was published and reiterated the tweet was a joke:

However, commenters on Facebook continued to believe the message was real. Here is a screenshot of such comments:

image (32).png

During an interview with NASCAR driver Brandon Brown following his win at the Talladega Superspeedway, the NBC Sports reporter said the fans in the stands were shouting, "Let's go Brandon." They were actually chanting, "F*** Joe Biden." This has become a "code" phrase on social media denigrating Biden.

Here is a video from the race:

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  Alexis Tereszcuk

Alexis Tereszcuk is a writer and fact checker at Lead Stories and an award-winning journalist who spent over a decade breaking hard news and celebrity scoop with RadarOnline and Us Weekly.

As the Entertainment Editor, she investigated Hollywood stories and conducted interviews with A-list celebrities and reality stars.  

Alexis’ crime reporting earned her spots as a contributor on the Nancy Grace show, CNN, Fox News and Entertainment Tonight, among others.

Read more about or contact Alexis Tereszcuk

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