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Multiple celebrities say they have quit Twitter in the wake of Elon Musk’s takeover.
Musk’s $44 billion deal to buy the social-media platform closed at the end of October.
Some public figures have expressed concern over what the billionaire would do with the platform.
Celebrities are starting to quit Twitter in the wake of Elon Musk’s takeover.
Screenwriter, producer, and showrunner Shonda Rhimes helped kick off the trend at the end of October, tweeting: “Not hanging around for whatever Elon has planned. Bye.”
Rhimes quickly became just one of several who turned their back on the platform in the past two weeks.
The exodus follows online chatter in April, when some stars vowed to leave the platform after Musk’s deal closed, citing concern over what the billionaire would do at the helm of the company.
Since Musk finalized the $44 billion deal, there has been a rise in hate speech on the platform. One research group said that the use of the N-word on Twitter increased by nearly 500% in the 12 hours after the takeover.
Musk, a self-proclaimed “free speech absolutist,” has already announced he is creating a new “content moderation council” for Twitter that would bring together diverse views.
Now, some celebrities are making good on their threats to quit Twitter.
Shonda Rhimes
The “Grey’s Anatomy” and “Bridgerton” creator said on Oct. 29 she was exiting the platform. Rhimes tweeted that she wasn’t planning to hang around “for whatever Elon has planned.”
—shonda rhimes (@shondarhimes) October 29, 2022
Sara Bareilles
Also on Oct. 29, Grammy award-winning singer-songwriter said she quit the platform. Bareilles tweeted: “Welp. It’s been fun Twitter. I’m out. See you on other platforms, peeps. Sorry, this one’s just not for me.”
—Sara Bareilles (@SaraBareilles) October 30, 2022
Ken Olin
Olin, an executive producer on the Emmy-award-winning show “This Is Us,” also said he was leaving the social media app. He posted a tweet saying: “I’m out of here. No judgment.”
—Ken Olin (@kenolin1) October 28, 2022
Toni Braxton
R&B star Toni Braxton said she was “shocked and appalled” at some of the content she had seen since Musk’s takeover.
She said was choosing to stay off Twitter as it was “no longer a safe space for myself, my sons, and other POC.”
—Toni Braxton (@tonibraxton) October 29, 2022
Téa Leoni
The actress best known for her role in “‘Madam Secretary” has also seemingly deleted her Twitter account. She tweeted that the platform had “revealed too much hate, too much in the wrong direction.”
“Love, kindness, and possibilities for all of you,” she added.
Brian Koppelman
Koppelman, the “Billions” showrunner, also closed his account. He told his Twitter followers to follow him on Instagram and TikTok instead.
He said: “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.”
Alex Winter
The “Bill & Ted” star also appears to have left the platform. His Twitter profile is blank and he has seemingly erased his tweet history. His bio simply says: “Not here. IG: @alxwinter.”
Capt. Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger
On Nov. 9, the hero pilot-turned-author said he’d be “taking a step back” from Twitter and listed the other platforms where followers could find him on. One user pointed out the difficulty to verify if he was the real deal or an impersonator.
“It took like 5 clicks to see that you were the real Capt Sully, so that seems like a reasonable decision,” the tweet read.
—Sully Sullenberger (@Captsully) November 9, 2022
Whoopi Goldberg
“It’s so messy,” the actor said Twitter on the Nov. 7 episode of “The View.” Goldberg announced she was leaving Twitter for the time being on the talk show she co-hosts.
—The View (@TheView) November 7, 2022
Gigi Hadid
The fashion model took to Instagram to condemn Twitter, especially under Musk’s leadership, announced she’d be deactivating her account.
“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 it’s not a place I want to be a part of,” Hadid wrote in an Instagram story post.
Amber Heard
Although the “Aquaman” actor didn’t give a reason or make an announcement on her departure from Twitter, users noticed her account had been deactivated on Nov. 1.
It’s unclear why Heard decided to leave Twitter. She dated “Chief Twit” Musk for about a year before the relationship ended in 2018.
—ThatUmbrellaGuy (@ThatUmbrella) November 1, 2022
Erik Larsen
According to NBC News, comic book creator – best known for “The Amazing Spider-Man” – Larson tweeted in April that he didn’t plan to stick around if Musk bought Twitter.
His handle appeared to be deactivated as of Oct. 31, and Larsen later confirmed his exit in an email to NBC News.
Laura Benanti
Tony Award-winning actor Benanti had some choice words for Musk in her final tweet before deleting her account.
In a now unavailable tweet, Benanti says, “fuck you forever,” to Twitter’s new owner and tells followers they can find her on Instagram.
Mick Foley
In a post to his official Facebook account, the former pro-wrestler announced a break from Twitter “since the new ownership — and the misinformation and hate it seems to be encouraging — has my stomach in a knot.”
Foley continued the post by letting fans know he’d still be active on Instagram and Facebook and encouraged them to be kind.
Jenny Slate
The actress and comic known for voicing “Marcel The Shell With Shoes On” and for films like “Obvious Child” announced she deactivated her Twitter account in an Instagram post shared on Nov. 12.
“Bye! Fyi, if someone says they are me…they are not,” Slate wrote in the caption. “Unless it’s me. But I’m not there anymore so it’s not me just to be really clear.”
Playbill
On Friday, the theater community news outlet announced it would be leaving Twitter in a statement.
“We feel we can no longer continue to utilize a platform where the line between actual news and insidious rhetoric has become blurred beyond recognition,” Playbill said in the statement.
According to CNN, the following Playbill-affiliated Twitter accounts are now inactive: @Playbill, @PlaybillTravel, @PLAYBILLder, @PlaybillArts, @PlaybillStore.
Jack White
The musician has quit Twitter and criticized some of Musk’s decisions for the platform.
On November 20, White shared a letter to Musk on Instagram slamming his decision to reinstate Donald Trump’s Twitter account.
“So you gave Trump his Twitter platform back. Absolutely disgusting, Elon,” the musician said. “That is officially an asshole move.”
“You intend to give platforms to known liars and wash your hands like pontius pilate and claim no responsibility?” White wrote in the post.
Trent Reznor
The Nine Inch Nails frontman has also removed his Twitter account.
In an interview, Reznor told The Hollywood Reporter: “I’m about to depart. We don’t need the arrogance of the billionaire class to feel like they can just come in and solve everything.
“Even without him involved, I just find that it has become such a toxic environment. For my mental health, I need to tune out. I don’t feel good being there anymore.”
David Simon
The author, journalist, screenwriter, and producer said he planned to leave.
In one tweet Simon said: “To stay is unethical. Fuck Elon Musk; the technobrat can choke on his new toy.”
—David Simon (@AoDespair) November 9, 2022
Liz Phair
The singer-songwriter has deactivated her account.
Phair said in her last tweet: “And the band played on… for not much longer. I’m feeling the deck quaking, so I will add my thanks to each and every one of you for the laughs, the learning, the love, the connection and the inspiration. A wonderful experience overall. Timing tbd”
David Dastmalchian
The film and stage actor, best known for his role as Thomas Schiff in “The Dark Knight,” also appears to have deactivated his Twitter account.