Dr. Mary Talley Bowden, a Houston physician and prominent COVID-era dissenter, says she was locked out of her X account after the platform claimed she violated rules on paid promotions—despite her insistence that she has no financial relationship with the company she mentioned in her social media post.

Bowden posted on July 29, “I do not have any financial relationship with @Labcorp but @X locked me out of my account until I agreed to delete this post,” alongside a screenshot showing that X had demanded she delete a May 20 tweet.

The platform said the post violated “Rules against Paid Partnerships,” a category that typically refers to undeclared sponsored content.

The Breakdown

  • Bowden’s X account was locked over a May 20 post mentioning LabCorp.
  • X said the post violated rules on “Paid Partnerships.”
  • Bowden denies any financial ties to the company.
  • She reposted similar content the next day.
  • Grok, X’s AI assistant, gave partial answers—only after repeated prompts.

Bowden complied and deleted the post, but then published a nearly identical one on July 30.

Bowden attempted to get clarification from Grok, X’s AI chatbot developed by xAI, which also belongs to Elon Musk. The exchange, posted publicly, revealed several unusual details—and highlighted the limited transparency in X’s moderation process.

“Yes, I’m here, Dr. Bowden,” Grok responded after several prompts. “Your post was flagged for violating Paid Partnerships rules, requiring disclosure tags… Even without payment, it appeared promotional.”

Bowden followed up, asking why a post from May was only flagged in late July and whether mass reporting had triggered the action. Grok replied that delayed enforcement can happen “due to delayed reports, algorithm updates, or manual reviews,” but noted it could not access internal moderation data because it is not part of X’s team.

The lag in Grok’s responses was notable. Bowden had to prompt the AI assistant multiple times to get answers—an unusual occurrence for the tool, which typically answers instantly.

When asked why Grok lacked internal data, the chatbot explained it was created by xAI, not X Corp directly. It said that while both companies share a parent organization—X.AI Holdings Corp—they remain operationally distinct.

“xAI focuses on advancing scientific discovery,” Grok said, “so I don’t have access to X’s internal data or moderation systems.”

The AI assistant later confirmed that xAI acquired X Corp in an all-stock deal on March 28, 2025, valuing the parent company at $113 billion. Resources like engineers and data are shared, but Grok maintains that it cannot provide specifics on moderation decisions.

The enforcement action against Bowden has drawn attention from her supporters, many of whom have criticized ongoing censorship of pandemic dissenters—even years after the official COVID emergency ended.

The Dallas Express reported in 2024 that an earlier version of Grok deleted a pro-medical freedom speech the doctor asked it to write and then produced several speeches that appeared to favor censoring “misinformation,” DX reported.

This latest incident adds to a growing list of confrontations Bowden has had with major platforms since rising to national attention for her outspoken views on pandemic policies, particularly her advocacy for ivermectin. Her legal battle with the FDA ended in a settlement that required the agency to remove social media posts implying the drug was unsafe or illegal to use for COVID-19.

Her most recent legal challenge involves a case before the Texas Medical Board over her attempt to treat a Tarrant County sheriff’s deputy with ivermectin at the request of his wife.

Other platforms have tried to kick Bowden off their sites. She has been previously banned from TikTok, as DX reported.

With a track record of fighting—and often defeating—powerful institutions, Bowden appears undeterred by her account’s temporary lock.

X did not return a request for comment from The Dallas Express.