Bye to the bird app. Controversial entrepreneur Elon Musk’s takeover of Twitter has led to many polarizing opinions — and many stars’ departures from the social media platform.
“Going forward, any Twitter handles engaging in impersonation without clearly specifying ‘parody’ will be permanently suspended,” the SpaceX founder — who took over the popular site in late October — wrote via Twitter on Sunday, November 6, to much backlash. “Previously, we issued a warning before suspension, but now that we are rolling out widespread verification, there will be no warning. This will be clearly identified as a condition for signing up to Twitter Blue.”
Twitter Blue, itself a divisive new feature, will charge $7.99 per month to users who want to keep their verified blue check mark.
“Any name change at all will cause temporary loss of verified checkmark,” Musk added.
The drama surrounding the Tesla CEO’s new rollout only increased after comedian Kathy Griffin’s account was suspended on Monday, November 7, after she impersonated the billionaire on the app, changing her name to “Elon Musk.” (Her Twitter handle, @kathygriffin, stayed the same, and she has been tweeting from her late mother’s account — promoting the hashtag #FreeKathy — in response.)
Musk reacted to the star’s ban with a tweet promoting Twitter Blue. “But if she really wants her account back, she can have it for $8,” he stated.
Griffin is far from the only celebrity who has taken issue with the businessman’s handling of the app. After Musk tweeted, “Twitter needs to become by far the most accurate source of information about the world. That’s our mission,” the founder of the app, Jack Dorsey, replied, “Accurate to who?”
Gigi Hadid, for her part, slammed Musk when revealing that she left the app via her Instagram Story on November 5.
“I deactivated my Twitter account today,” she wrote at the time, per a screenshot of her since-expired post. “For a long time, but especially with its new leadership, it’s becoming more and more of a cesspool of hate & bigotry, and it’s not a place I want to be part of.”
The model added: “Only sorry for the fans, who I’ve loved connecting with for over a decade via Twitter, but I can’t say it’s a safe place for anyone, nor a social platform that will do more good than harm.”
Keep scrolling to see the celebs who have left Twitter amid Musk’s takeover:
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Celebs Who’ve Left Twitter Amid Elon Musk’s Takeover: Gigi Hadid, Whoopi Goldberg and More
Bye to the bird app. Controversial entrepreneur Elon Musk’s takeover of Twitter has led to many polarizing opinions — and many stars’ departures from the social media platform.
“Going forward, any Twitter handles engaging in impersonation without clearly specifying ‘parody’ will be permanently suspended,” the SpaceX founder — who took over the popular site in late October — wrote via Twitter on Sunday, November 6, to much backlash. “Previously, we issued a warning before suspension, but now that we are rolling out widespread verification, there will be no warning. This will be clearly identified as a condition for signing up to Twitter Blue.”
Twitter Blue, itself a divisive new feature, will charge $7.99 per month to users who want to keep their verified blue check mark.
“Any name change at all will cause temporary loss of verified checkmark,” Musk added.
The drama surrounding the Tesla CEO’s new rollout only increased after comedian Kathy Griffin’s account was suspended on Monday, November 7, after she impersonated the billionaire on the app, changing her name to “Elon Musk.” (Her Twitter handle, @kathygriffin, stayed the same, and she has been tweeting from her late mother’s account — promoting the hashtag #FreeKathy — in response.)
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Musk reacted to the star’s ban with a tweet promoting Twitter Blue. “But if she really wants her account back, she can have it for $8,” he stated.
Griffin is far from the only celebrity who has taken issue with the businessman’s handling of the app. After Musk tweeted, “Twitter needs to become by far the most accurate source of information about the world. That’s our mission,” the founder of the app, Jack Dorsey, replied, “Accurate to who?”
Gigi Hadid, for her part, slammed Musk when revealing that she left the app via her Instagram Story on November 5.
“I deactivated my Twitter account today,” she wrote at the time, per a screenshot of her since-expired post. “For a long time, but especially with its new leadership, it’s becoming more and more of a cesspool of hate & bigotry, and it’s not a place I want to be part of.”
The model added: “Only sorry for the fans, who I’ve loved connecting with for over a decade via Twitter, but I can’t say it’s a safe place for anyone, nor a social platform that will do more good than harm.”
Keep scrolling to see the celebs who have left Twitter amid Musk’s takeover:
Credit: Stephen Lovekin/Shutterstock
Gigi Hadid
“I deactivated my Twitter account today. For a long time, but especially with its new leadership, it’s becoming more and more of a cesspool of hate & bigotry, and it’s not a place I want to be part of,” Hadid shared via her Instagram Story, claiming that it’s not a “safe space for anyone.”
Credit: AFFI/Shutterstock
Whoopi Goldberg
The Ghost star announced her plan to leave the app after Musk bought the company. “I’m getting off,” Goldberg told the View audience days after he took over. “I just feel like it’s so messy, and I’m tired of having had certain types of attitudes blocked, and now they’re back. I’m going to get out, and if it settles down and I feel more comfortable, maybe I’ll come back.” She confirmed her departure by tweeting, “To everyone, Thanks for everything! Until we meet again! Love, Whoopi.”
Credit: David Fisher/Shutterstock
Shonda Rhimes
The TV icon was one of the first stars to announce she was exiting the app and not looking back. “Not hanging around for whatever Elon has planned,” she tweeted. “Bye.”
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Sara Bareilles
“Welp. It’s been fun Twitter. I’m out. See you on other platforms, peeps,” the singer-songwriter wrote in her final tweet. “Sorry, this one’s just not for me.”
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Toni Braxton
The “Unbreak My Heart” singer was “shocked and appalled” at some of the tweets she was seeing after Musk took over the social platform, adding that it was “no longer a safe space for myself, my sons, and other POC.”
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Tea Leoni
The actress opined that the new Twitter “revealed too much hate, too much in the wrong direction” and announced her exit.
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Pedro Pascal
The Mandalorian star deactivated his Twitter account in November 2022.
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Jim Carrey
“I’m leaving Twitter, but 1st here’s a cartoon I made with my friend Jimmy Hayward,” the Ace Ventura Pet Detective star announced in November 2022. “It’s based on my painting of a crazy old Lighthouse Keeper, standing naked in a storm, summoning the angels and shining his lamp to guide us through a treacherous night. I love you all so much!”
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Elton John
The “Rocket Man” singer announced he was leaving the social media platform after Musk shared plans that would grant “general amnesty” to suspended accounts.
“All my life I’ve tried to use music to bring people together. Yet it saddens me to see how misinformation is now being used to divide our world,” John tweeted in December 2022. “I’ve decided to no longer use Twitter, given their recent change in policy which will allow misinformation to flourish unchecked.”