An online article authentically reported in October 2023 that celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay threw former U.S. women’s national team soccer player Megan Rapinoe out of one of his restaurants.
On Oct. 18, 2023, the SpaceX Lovers Facebook page posted (archived) an image of celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay and former U.S. national women’s soccer star Megan Rapinoe. The post showed the caption, “Gordon Ramsay Throws Megan Rapinoe Out of His Restaurant.” It received more than 24,000 likes in less than 24 hours.
A link in the comments led to a “breaking” news article with the same headline. It was published on SpaceXMania.com on Aug. 13. Part of the story was written as follows:
Enter Gordon Ramsay, a celebrity chef known for his fiery temper and high standards. Ramsay’s restaurants are havens for culinary excellence, and his reputation for demanding perfection extends beyond the kitchen. When Rapinoe’s name came up on the reservation list, Ramsay’s reaction was swift and decisive. Citing her failed penalty kick and her statements that he deemed unpatriotic, Ramsay personally approached Rapinoe’s table and asked her to leave.
However, this story was made up, meaning that Ramsay never threw Rapinoe out of one of his restaurants. SpaceXMania.com describes its output as being satirical in nature, both on its “About Us” page and as a label above articles.
The same story was also reposted on dubious websites that showed no satire labels whatsoever.
For background, here is why we sometimes write about satire/humor.