Recently, a meme circulated on Facebook, claiming that former NBA star Shaquille O’Neal had kicked The View co-host Joy Behar out of his Big Chicken restaurant. The meme read, “Shaq Throws Joy Behar Out Of His Restaurant, Bans Her For Life, ‘Keep Your Toxicity Out.'” This post gathered over 1.2k reactions, 289 comments, and 251 shares.
The View co-host, 81, had previously criticized Bill Belichick’s relationship with a woman nearly five decades younger, Jordon Hudson, during her talk show episode.
Searching Facebook revealed many users sharing the same rumor. Is it true that Shaq threw out Joy Behar from one of his restaurants? Let’s find out.
The first comment under the Facebook post linked to an article on SpaceXMania.com. The story, published on April 12, was titled, “Breaking: Shaq Ejects Joy Behar From His Big Chicken Eatery, ‘Keep Your Toxicity Out.'”
The article stated, “In a surprising turn of events at Shaquille O’Neal’s renowned Big Chicken restaurant in Las Vegas, a visit by television host Joy Behar took an unexpected turn, resulting in Behar being asked to leave by none other than the basketball legend himself. The incident, which unfolded amid discussions about politics and social issues, sparked debates about free speech, public decorum, and the responsibilities of restaurant owners in managing customer interactions.”
The article continued, explaining that the situation took a turn for the worse when Behar began discussing divisive political topics. Shaq decided to ask Behar to leave his restaurant to maintain a positive and inclusive atmosphere.
In a later statement, Shaq mentioned that Big Chicken solely aims to offer people a “safe space” where they can openly be their true selves without having to be subjected to contentious conversations.
However, this story isn’t true. The website that posted the story labels some of its content as satirical on its “About Us” page and above articles. Additionally, the meme posted on Facebook had a watermark reading “satire.”
