Elon Musk Mocked After Paying For Stephen King’s Twitter Checkmark

It’s the end of an era on Twitter, as Elon Musk has finally removed the legacy verification checkmarks on Twitter, leaving celebrities, journalists, and notable accounts unverified, aside from a select few, such as legendary horror author Stephen King.

Blue checkmarks on Twitter were initially introduced in 2009 as proof of identity, after someone on the site impersonated baseball manager Tony La Russa, prompting La Russa to sue the company.

Now, a blue checkmark is no longer a verification symbol, but simply a confirmation that the user has paid $8-per-month for a Twitter Blue subscription. Essentially, Musk replaced an ID badge with an entry ticket to a free venue; Twitter Blue promises less ads (not zero, less), algorithmic boosting, and a high chance of being mocked by Twitter users who browse the site for free.

Stephen King is one of the few users on the site who have retained their blue checkmark without paying the subscription fee; after the legacy checkmarks were removed on April 20th (the weed holiday), King seemed surprised by his verification status, tweeting that he did not subscribe to Twitter Blue or provide his phone number.

Musk replied to King, writing: “You’re welcome.” King did not respond. Musk later confirmed that he was personally paying for Twitter Blue subscriptions for LeBron James, William Shatner and Stephen King, all of whom have dismissed the idea of paying for Twitter.

King and Musk have a strange relationship on the site, with King having criticized Musk’s chaotic Twitter reign many times, usually prompting a hopeful response from Musk, who seems desperate for the author to acknowledge him. Despite Musk’s earnest attempts to engage, King has never responded to the billionaire.

Back in 2022, when Musk first bought the site, King was credited with haggling down the price of Twitter Blue, as Musk lowered his initial suggestion of $20, down to $8, after scalding criticism from King, who wrote: “$20 a month to keep my blue check? Fuck that, they should pay me. If that gets instituted, I’m gone like Enron.”

Musk responded to King, writing, “We need to pay the bills somehow! Twitter cannot entirely rely on advertisers. How about $8?”

King’s assertion that Twitter should pay him for posting is in line with how many high-profile users view their relationship to the site; the lifeblood of Twitter is in the opinions, arguments and melodrama that everyday users provide, along with the influencers, celebrities and journalists who regularly post on the site, risking their reputations with each unsolicited opinion.

“This website is free” used to be a remarkably common phrase on Twitter, in the years before Musk’s takeover. Users would often write the words in response to a particularly witty comment, devastating insult, or uniquely unhinged opinion that would never have been seen outside of Twitter, where people from all walks of life are swept down the same relentless information stream.

A few days after mocking the idea of Twitter Blue, King again tweeted a criticism of Musk, writing: I think I liked Twitter better in the pre-Musk days. Less controversy, more fun.” Musk responded with a ghost emoji, then wrote: “I’m still a fan of you tbh.”

Musk deleted the flattering comment after King did not respond. King then commented on the alarming amount of advertisers that fled the site following Musk’s mercurial management; according to Bloomberg, many have yet to return.

King sarcastically wrote: “Pretty soon the only advertiser left on Twitter will be My Pillow.”

Musk responded to King’s comment, several times. Again, King did not respond.

Musk’s determination to push Twitter Blue onto King, James and Shatner was widely interpreted as an act of desperation, and mocked by Twitter users.

Many pointed out that Musk’s stated goal of leveling the playing field clearly contrasted with his willingness to verify celebrities who refused to pay him.

After the legacy checkmarks were wiped, it didn’t take long for copycats and pranksters to start mimicking high-profile accounts, again.

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez pointed out the danger of stripping verification from official sources, in response to a conflict between two accounts claiming to represent the New York City government.

In response, Musk appears to have implemented another verification system, an unnecessarily complex range of gray and gold checkmarks to verify the identity of politicians and news outlets.

Musk’s enthusiastic army of fans, who refuse to accept criticism of their beloved billionaire, expressed anger at the celebrities who did not pay for Twitter Blue, resulting in the phrase “Pay the $8” trending on the site.

It all seems like a great deal of unnecessary drama just to recreate a version of the old verification system, and an embarrassment for Musk that James and King wanted to clarify that they did not pay him.

On top of the checkmark fiasco, Musk’s SpaceX rocket exploded on the day the legacy checkmarks were wiped, prompting comparisons to Roman Roy of Succession, who faced a similar humiliation in the first season of the show.

Musk, however, posted through the pain, writing: “Such a great day in so many ways.”