Elon Musk’s acquisition of Twitter has already led to some major shake-ups at the company. Musk named himself “chief Twit,” fired top executives and shared his plans to change the platform’s current content moderation and bans. Many fear the changes will allow hate speech and inappropriate content on the platform, and as a result, several celebrities and high profile people have vowed to leave.
Musk first announced his plan to buy the company in April. At the time, actor and activist Jameela Jamil, activist Shaun King, comic book writer Erik Larsen, wrestler Mick Foley and others said they would no longer use Twitter if he bought it. The $44 billion sale went through in late October.
Now that Musk is officially in control, more stars have become critical of him and made the same promise to leave while others seemed to be on the fence.
Shonda Rhimes
“Not hanging around for whatever Elon has planned. Bye,” the screenwriter and producer tweeted two days after Musk officially bought the company. She hasn’t tweeted since.
Sara Bareilles
The singer said she was leaving the platform in a tweet on October 30. “Welp. It’s been fun Twitter. I’m out. See you on other platforms, peeps. Sorry, this one’s just not for me,” she wrote. She has not tweeted since.
Toni Braxton
The singer said she was appalled by the changes she saw after Musk acquired the company and vowed to stay off of it. “I’m shocked and appalled at some of the ‘free speech’ I’ve seen on this platform since its acquisition. Hate speech under the veil of ‘free speech’ is unacceptable; therefore I am choosing to stay off Twitter as it is no longer a safe space for myself, my sons and other POC,” she wrote.
Alex Winter
The “Bill & Ted” actor said he would leave the platform and kept that promise – his account is no longer active. His last tweet was a meme about Musk taking over the platform, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Brian Koppelman
The “Billions” showrunner tweeted he was going to “take a breather” from Twitter then made his account private. In his final tweet, he instructed fans to find him on Instagram and TikTok, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Ken Olin
The actor, director and producer tweeted about his departure from the platform on October 28. “Hey all – I’m out of here. No judgement. Let’s keep the faith. Let’s protect our democracy. Let’s try to be kinder. Let’s try to save the planet. Let’s try to be more generous. Let’s look to find peace in the world,” he wrote.
In a previous tweet, he said he was going to be using Tribel Social, an alternative to Twitter. “Gotta wean myself off of this soon to be Musk machine,” Olin said. The platform promotes itself as being free of hate and “fake news.”
Mick Foley
The wrestler said in April he’d consider leaving Twitter. “I’ll be giving some serious thought to leaving Twitter for good in the near future,” he wrote. “I do not have a good feeling about where this platform is heading.” As of October 31, his Twitter account was deactivated.
Erik Larson
The comic book writer, who worked on The Amazing Spider-Man series in the 1990s, vowed early on in Musk’s acquisition process to delete his Twitter account if the billionaire succeeded in buying the company. It appears Larsen has left the platform since the buy.
Jameela Jamil
The actor first said that she would be leaving Twitter in April. “One good thing about Elon buying twitter is that I will *FINALLY* leave and stop being a complete menace to society on here. So it’s win win for you all really,” she tweeted. She has tweeted since then, and her most recent tweet is from October 26 – one day before Musk officially bought the company. It is unclear if she will return, but if she keeps her promise, she won’t be back on the platform while Musk controls it.
Rob Reiner
The filmmaker urged people to not leave the platform. “For those who are fighting to preserve our Constitutional Democracy, now is not the time to leave Twitter,” he tweeted the day after the acquisition. He has tweeted since then, mainly to promote the upcoming midterm elections on November 8.
Amy Siskind
The activist and author tweeted in April that she was sitting with her thoughts and watching, but hadn’t decided if she would stay on the platform.
“This platform feels like it is dying,” she tweeted on October 29. “If you are leaving, you can also find my content at Facebook. I have a built an active, moderated community there.”
Shaun King
The activist left Twitter in April, but came back hours later. However, his account is now private.
Josh Gad
The actor said he was unsure if he would stay on Twitter. “Large exodus happening on this platform. Not sure if I stay or not,” he tweeted on October 28. “Leaning toward staying, but if today is a sign of things to come, not sure what the point is. Freedom of speech is great. Hate speech intended to incite harm, (with no consequences) ain’t what I signed up for.” He has tweeted several times since.
