Topline
A string of high-profile celebrities are leaving Twitter as a result of changes in the platform since new owner Elon Musk took over last month, including artist Jack White and model Gigi Hadid.
Jack White of The Raconteurs performs at Orlando Calling Music Festival – Day 1 at Florida Citrus … [+]
Timeline
Former White Stripes frontman Jack White left Twitter, saying in an Instagram post that Musk’s decision to reinstate former President Donald Trump’s account was the final straw and that the new Twitter owner was using his power to “promote horrible violence-inducing liars, who are taking the country and the world backwards.”
Trent Reznor from Nine Inch Nails said he was leaving the platform in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, saying the world didn’t need “the arrogance of the billionaire class” to believe they can solve every issue, adding Twitter has “become such a toxic environment.”
Whoopi Goldberg said she was leaving Twitter during an episode of The View, calling the platform “so messy” and saying she’s tired of the back-and-forth of “certain kinds of attitudes blocked and now they’re back on,” but did say she may return if “it settles down and I feel more comfortable.”
Gigi Hadid announced she had deactivated her Twitter after more than a decade, saying that while she will miss connecting with fans, under Musk’s leadership it is “becoming more and more of a cesspool, and it’s not a place I want to be a part of.”
When showrunner Shonda Rhimes left, she told her followers that she would not be “hanging around for whatever Elon has planned.”
Toni Braxton was among the first celebrities to leave Twitter, tweeting the day after Musk’s takeover was finalized that she was “shocked and appalled” at the content she’d seen on the platform since the acquisition, saying “hate speech under the veil of ‘free speech’ is unacceptable” and that Twitter is a safe place for people of color.
Key Background
Since Musk’s takeover of Twitter last month, many advertisers have also suspended spending on the platform out of concern for the new direction the company is taking. This week, Twitter delayed its relaunch of paid subscription service Twitter Blue over concerns of users impersonating high-profile celebrities. When the program, which includes paid verification badges, first rolled out earlier this month, some users paid the $7.99 fee for the checkmark only to impersonate well-known figures and groups.
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/carlieporterfield/2022/11/23/these-are-all-the-celebrities-departing-twitter-after-elon-musks-takeover/