Fox News totally fell for this raunchy SF bar's joke

The owner of Kozy Kar Bar on Polk Street apparently quit his day job to become a stripper in Vegas. Or at least, that's what Fox News would have you believe. The owner of Kozy Kar Bar on Polk Street apparently quit his day job to become a stripper in Vegas. Or at least, that's what Fox News would have you believe. Photo: Adam S -- Yelp Photo: Adam S -- Yelp Image 1 of / 19 Caption Close Fox News totally fell for this raunchy SF bar's joke 1 / 19 Back to Gallery

Fox News, always quick to jump on the "San Francisco is a liberal dystopia" train, apparently couldn't pass up the opportunity to write about a sudden closure of Kozy Kar Bar, prompted by the owner's lifelong desire to become an exotic dancer.

"Well, this is weird," the story starts out.

It's also almost certainly not true.

On Wednesday, a sign posted in the window of the Polk Street bar went viral on Twitter and Reddit. In it, the owner explains, "I've wanted to be a male exotic dancer since I was in diapers. I’m 50 years old and think that the time is now. ... I’ve taken years of pole dancing lessons. My moves are incredible, my routine is magical."

The note then paraphrases some plot points from the movie "Boogie Nights" and says the staff is trying to convince the owner to keep Kozy Kar open, but they all have to fly to Vegas to see him perform first.

someone make this man's life story into a movie pls pic.twitter.com/XYNxWz9eQP — Megan Frantz (@megsfrantz) January 8, 2020

Surely, you're thinking, "There's no way this is real." (Fox News apparently didn't think that, but you probably are.)

The comments on the viral posts quickly revealed a more plausible explanation for the bar's closure.

"Come on people. He shuts the bar every year to take his staff to Vegas for a couple days. This is an obvious 'We’re closed for staff vacation' joke," said Redditor kendostickball.

But while Fox News is taking this story seriously, someone should alert them the eccentric stripping owner also transferred ownership of the bar to his dog, according to another (definitely not fake) notice posted in the windows earlier this week.

A friend’s kids live in San Francisco. This letter was taped to the door of the Kozy Kar bar (a few blocks away) pic.twitter.com/yNFjxUT57u — Russell Shaw (@therussellshaw) January 8, 2020

The bar is known for its dive atmosphere and televisions that play vintage porn. In 2011, the owner paid to cover the billboard across the street with negative Yelp reviews for Kozy Kar. In 2015, the bar came under fire for a sign that joked about date rape.

Alix Martichoux is an SFGATE digital editor. Read her latest stories and send her news tips at alix.martichoux@sfgate.com.