Joe' host Joe Scarborough expressed on Thursday's show that he has "always been horrified" by the Chinese-owned app TikTok and said Elon Musk should not be the person to take over American operations for the social platform.

Chinese officials are reportedly exploring a backup plan for TikTok after the Supreme Court appeared unlikely to save it from a US ban. With TikTok’s legal options nearly exhausted, multiple news outlets are reporting that China is considering an option it previously said it wouldn’t: letting ByteDance sell the app.

The future of TikTok hangs in the balance this week as the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) prepares to issue a verdict on banning the platform. For months, speculation has been rising about what will become of the popular content creation app that has launched many viral videos and created entire careers.

After years of rejecting the idea of a sale of TikTok’s US assets to an American buyer in order to avert a ban, China and ByteDance may have found an owner they could live with: Elon Musk.

Chinese government officials are reportedly mulling selling TikTok's US operations to Elon Musk to avoid a complete ban in the country.

TikTok’s time will expire on Jan. 19 if no buyer is found or the Supreme Court rules in the app’s favor. Here’s what to know.

The US Supreme Court on Friday rejected an appeal from TikTok to overturn a federal law effectively banning the social media platform. The ban would penalize major companies for offering TikTok in their app stores.

If ByteDance decides to sell, TikTok's U.S. operations could be worth as much as $50 billion. The Chinese government has considered a plan in which Elon Musk could acquire TikTok's operations as part of several potential scenarios.