Elon Musk And co. He’s making a major change to Twitter starting this month – and it’s going to affect every verified celebrity out there… and many of them aren’t happy about it.
Of course, we’re talking about the coveted blue ticks—which, for years, have served as the official verification system on the Bird app…to distinguish high-profile public figures from significant others of all norms. The word is that all of this will end in April.
Going to bed tonight with my husband, knowing that everything will be over by morning pic.twitter.com/hYXKNrpsdt
– Chrissy Teigen (@chrissyteigen) April 1, 2023
Going forward, Elon said he’ll start charging people $8 a month for Twitter Blue subscriptions — giving them the option to buy the blue check. Not only that, but it will stop legacy checks… The stripping is supposed to start today, April 1st.
In other words, all the stars who have enjoyed official verification status will be just like the rest of us – and a good handful are already in mourning, Chrissy Teigen included.
Friends, there are bigger issues with “out of the blue verified” next to my name on this account. But without it, a person can claim to be me. So, if I lose that ✔️ I know I will be leaving this platform. Anyone who appears with her = an impostor. I tell you this while I’m still in charge.
– Jason Alexander (IJasonAlexander) March 28, 2023
She jokingly bid my blue check status goodbye with a cheeky response… stating that she wouldn’t pay the money to stay checked. Ditto for many other celebrities, some of them seem to be really upset about this. Jason Alexander He says he will get out of here if he loses his cheque.
William Shatner He also recently seemed very annoyed at the lack of checks and balances in Twitter’s new space, writing… “Heyelonmusk, what is this about the blue checks we haven’t pushed into Twitter? I’ve been here for 15 years giving ⏰ & clever ideas all for the bupkis. Now You’re telling me I should pay for something you gave me for free? What is this—the Columbia Record and Tape Club?” and Dionne Warwicktoo, had taken possession of it.
I don’t pay for a blue check. This money can (and will) go toward my extra hot latte. 😒
– Dionne Warwick (@dionnewarwick) March 31, 2023
You write, “I’m not paying for a blue check. This money can (and will) go toward my extra hot latte.” ice tea He said something similar this week… vowing to go short of blue check if push comes to shove. As we reported… LeBron James a promise something similar.
It seems like a lot of stars are willing to lose their check if it means they have to pay, but as of now – everyone still has their check… so maybe this is an April Fools’ joke?
It is important to determine whether or not someone actually belongs to an organization in order to avoid impersonation https://t.co/nFnr2hFvbY
– Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 31, 2023
Mostly not. Just a couple of days ago, Elon was pointing people in the direction of Twitter’s approved system of organizations — which seems geared toward making sure companies, news organizations, and other high-profile entities remain verified on Twitter… sans impersonation.
Everyone else — including individual journalists, etc. — might have to shell out if they want their blue checks, though. It’s sure to be a bit of a f*** show…we’ll see where the chips land.
Good luck to all of you. And scammers beware… something tells us there might be a few among us.
“Infuriatingly humble analyst. Bacon maven. Proud food specialist. Certified reader. Avid writer. Zombie advocate. Incurable problem solver.”