Some people just don’t get jokes. /r/yourjokebutworse has one category but there is also that entire category of comments that go “I hope that’s satire” to what is obviously satirical.
Jokes on the internet are great when people are in on them. Positioning yourself as someone that has inside information when it's false falls closer to "it was just a prank bro". The author should be able to say whatever they want, though the ability doesn't make the action not shitty.
