Fact Check: Only Elon Musk named Time's 'Person of the Year', not Ghislaine Maxwell
A photo of a Time magazine cover featuring an image of Elon Musk and Ghislaine Maxwell is circulating on social media with the claim that the duo was named the ‘Person of the Year 2021’. The magazine cover carries the title “Person of the Year”.
By Newsmeter Network Published on 19 Dec 2021 12:21 PM GMT
Hyderabad: A photo of a Time magazine cover featuring an image of Elon Musk and Ghislaine Maxwell is circulating on social media with the claim that the duo was named the 'Person of the Year 2021'. The magazine cover carries the title "Person of the Year".
Time magazine has named the CEO of Tesla Motors and space entrepreneur Elon Musk as its 'Person of the Year 2021'. However, some social media users claim that Musk wasn't the only one receiving the recognition this year.
Maxwell is a British socialite who is known for her association with financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. She is on trial in federal court for allegations that she helped Epstein sexually abuse underage girls.
Here are a few posts from Facebook and Twitter.
Fact Check:
The viral image of the Time magazine cover featuring Musk and Maxwell is fake. The cover has not have details like the release date and doesn't match Time's style and font used on previous covers.
The official Time magazine cover features only Elon Musk and is dated "Dec. 27, 2021/Jan. 3, 2022". Musk was photographed by Mark Mahaney for the magazine.
Time's official YouTube channel had also uploaded a video titled "TIME Person of the Year 2021: Elon Musk".
NewsMeter found the viral image of Musk and Maxwell on Getty Images. It was taken on 2 March 2014 in West Hollywood, California, during Vanity Fair's Oscar after-party.
When a Twitter user asked Musk if he was friends with Maxwell he replied, "Don't know Ghislaine at all. She photobombed me once at a Vanity Fair party several years ago." (Archive)
In 2019, Musk's spokesperson told Business Insider, "Ghislaine simply inserted herself behind him in a photo he was posing for without his knowledge."
Clearly, the viral image of Time magazine cover featuring Musk and Maxwell has been morphed. Only Elon Musk was named Time's 'Person of the Year' for 2021 and the magazine cover has only his photo.
