In January 2024, a viral post on Facebook from the account SpaceX Fanclub claimed that British chef and restaurateur Gordon Ramsay threw former NCAA swimmer Lia Thomas out of one of his restaurants. The story appeared to originate on the website esspots.com, which wrote:
The SpaceX Fanclub post on Facebook received more than 11,000 comments, as of this writing, with many followers appearing to side with Ramsay.
“I’ve never seen so many ppl care so much about food sent back to the kitchen! 😂 but i love it! Lia Thomas sent a Risotto back 3x! 3 TIMES!!?! as a proud lifelong restaurant worker, i would’ve thrown em out on the 3rd strike as well 😂👏🏼,” wrote one follower, while another offered, “Gordans the goat this man is the king in the kitchen idc what anyone says read the actual article you do not disrespect that chefs work bringing that back three time like if its wrong lets see you do better than my boy Gordon 😤 I said what i said.”
However, the claim about Ramsay throwing Thomas out of his restaurant was not true. Reputable news outlets did not report the story and the article does not mention at which of Ramsay’s many restaurants the incident allegedly took place. The article originated from a website that describes its output as humorous or satirical in nature.
SpaceX Fanclub also displays a similar disclaimer. “We post SATIRE, nothing on this page is real,” that page’s description states on its “Intro” section.
Additionally, the story was published on the SpaceXArena website, which tells readers in its “About Us” section, “We use parody and exaggeration to mock current events and trends and aim to provide entertainment and laughter to our readers. … We are not a reliable source of information, but rather a platform for fun and comedy. We do not intend to offend or harm anyone with our content, but rather to make them smile and think. We hope you enjoy our website as much as we enjoy creating it.”
Thomas, who is transgender, was in the news in early 2024 due to her legal battle against World Aquatics to allow her to compete in women’s events. Switzerland’s Court of Arbitration for Sport ruled against the swimmer, upholding existing guidelines that require transgender athletes to meet specific criteria, which Thomas was unable to fulfill.
