Now that the controversial businessman Elon Musk has officially taken over Twitter, many celebrities have vowed to exit or have already deactivated their accounts on the social media platform.
Let’s break down which celebrities are saying goodbye to the bluebird in this roundup. While we will attempt to curate a list that may be of general interest to our readers, we caution that it is in no way considered to be exhaustive.
Whoopi Goldberg, the actor and host of The View, made a cryptic post on Twitter, saying “Until we meet again.” Many people are interpreting the message as her announcement that she is leaving the site. She has since deleted her account.
Gigi Hadid has also announced she has left Twitter, with the supermodel slamming Musk and calling the platform a “cesspool.” Hadid wrote in an Instagram story on Sunday Nov. 6 (per OK Magazine):
“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 and bigotry, and its not a place I want to be a part of. I can’t say it’s a safe place for anyone, nor a social platform that will do more good than harm.”
Tisha Campbell, the singer and actor known for her role in the TV show Harley Quinn and the movie Little Shop of Horrors, announced she would be leaving Twitter citing “racist bulls–t.”
Shonda Rhimes, the producer and screenwriter behind beloved shows such as Scandal and Grey’s Anatomy, announced she would not be “hanging around for whatever Elon has planned.”
Sara Bareilles — the singer-songwriter, actor, and composer of the Broadway musical Waitress — announced “this one’s just not for me,” when it comes to Twitter.
R&B singer Toni Braxton also announced she would be departing Twitter, citing a perceived uptick in hate speech since Musk took over.
Ken Olin, known for directing acclaimed TV series like This is Us and Alias, announced he would be leaving the platform, without “judgement” to others.
Jameela Jamil, who played Titania on She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, announced back in April that she would be leaving Twitter and directly cited Musk’s purchase as the reason.
Jamil has since made subsequent tweets, perhaps coinciding with Musk temporarily trying to back out of following through on the purchase of the social media platform. However, Jamil has not made a tweet since Musk finalized the purchase on Oct. 27.
Actor Téa Leoni, known for her roles in films like Jurassic Park III and Spanglish, has also bowed out of Twitter, according to The Washington Post.
Bill & Ted star Alex Winter has also apparently vacated the platform, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Brian Koppelman, the Billions showrunner, has also left Twitter, at least for a little while. Koppelman made a tweet saying goodbye to his followers (per THR):
“Y’all’s, for real, come find me over on instagram and the tok. Gonna really try to take a breather from here for a minute or a month come deal close time.”
Wrestler Mick Foley also announced he would be leaving Twitter and has since deactivated his account. Foley wrote in a tweet back in April (per CBS News):
“I’ll be giving some serious thought to leaving Twitter for good in the near future. I do not have a good feeling about where this platform is heading.”
Erik Larsen — a comic book writer known for his run of The Amazing Spider-Man in the ‘90s — also vowed to delete his Twitter account should Musk’s acquisition succeed. Larsen has since deleted his Twitter account, CBS News reported.
Stephen King — the prolific horror author behind such classics as It and The Shining — has also indicated he would leave Twitter if Musk begins charging money for the coveted blue verification checkmark. Pending the implementation of the policy change, King has continued to remain on the platform, for now.
Following Musk’s acquisition of Twitter for $44 billion, the tech mogul has indicated he had to implement massive layoffs at the company due to the social media site hemorrhaging $4 million per day. Advertisers have now apparently been fleeing the platform, as well, which Musk has blamed on pressure from “activist groups.”
While Musk has touted freedom of speech being championed on the platform, there was an uncomfortably high surge in hate speech that flooded the social media site immediately following his acquisition, including one estimate that hate speech increased by 500 percent, as NBC Bay Area reported. Musk is not doing much to quell such concerns, as he has even gone so far as to share a meme that featured an image of a Nazi soldier.
