Kevin O'Leary is talking about buying TikTok againbut this time with more specifics.
The social media app is less than two weeks away from facing a possible ban, although the Supreme Court will rule on a stay on January 10 after TikTok and its parent company, China-based ByteDance, asked the Court to meet the January 19 deadline.
In April, US lawmakers passed a bill forcing ByteDance to sell TikTok, although the company has repeatedly said not for sale and would rather close it.
However, that hasn't deterred O'Leary, known as “Mr. Wonderful.”
This week, O'Leary announced that he is joining the billionaire and former owner of the LA Dodgers Frank McCourt in a plan for it buy the social network. McCourt launched the Liberty Project in 2021 to help build and advocate for a safer and more equal Internet, according to her website.
in may McCourt revealed that Project Liberty was “building a consortium to buy TikTok and re-architect the platform to put people in control of their digital identities and data,” known as the “People's Bid for TikTok.”
“We've built a clean, American-made technology stack and continue to be the only viable provider that can provide a seamless transition for everyone to TikTok without the existing algorithm,” said Frank McCourt, founder of Project Liberty. in a press release. “With the addition of Kevin and his countless followers to our offering, the Popular Offer enters a new phase.”
Project Liberty's investor group has committed more than $20 billion in capital, according to a spokesman.
O'Leary it was vocal about wanting to buy TikTok as early as March 2024 after news broke of a possible ban. it said Fox & Friends that month, “If this order goes through, it must sell. I'll put my hand up and say I'll buy it.”
“It's the largest entertainment and business network in America as it stands today, so it's of great interest and great value,” O'Leary said last March.
McCourt also noted that he looks forward to “working with President-elect Trump to save TikTok.”
“Kevin and I, along with the thousands of supporters who have come forward to support The People's Bid, firmly believe we can build a better TikTok — one that protects our national security and becomes a safe and secure platform that millions of people on the app will believe,” McCourt said.
Related: Remote working fan Kevin O'Leary appears on TV in suit jacket, tie and pajama bottoms
O'Leary talked about his bid for the app in one news release this week in his pink pajama pants and flip flops.