Elon Musk and company. are making a major change to Twitter starting this month, and it will affect almost all verified celebrities, many of whom aren’t happy about it.
Of course, we’re talking about the coveted blue checkmarks, which, for years, have served as the official verification system in the bird app… to distinguish prominent public figures and other notable people of all standards. It is said that all that will come to an end in April.
going to bed tonight with my husband check mark, knowing that it will all be over by morning pic.twitter.com/hYXKNrpsdt
—Chrissy Teigen (@chrissyteigen) April 1, 2023
Going forward, Elon has said that he will start charging people $8/month for Twitter Blue subscriptions, giving them the option to buy their blue check. Not only that, but he is discontinuing legacy checks… that rollback is supposed to start today, April 1st.
In other words, all the stars who have enjoyed official verified status will be just like the rest of us, and a good handful are already in mourning. chrissy teigen including.
Folks, there are bigger problems with the 🌎 than the blue verified ✔️ next to my name on this account. But without it, anyone can claim to be me. So if I lose that, I know I’ll leave this platform. Anyone who appears with him = an impostor. I’m telling you this while I’m still an officer.
— Jason Alexander (@IJasonAlexander) March 28, 2023
Jokingly, she said goodbye to her blue check status with a cheeky reply…indicating that she’s not spending any money to stay verified. The same goes for a bunch of other celebs, some of whom seem really upset about this. jason alexander He says he’s out of here if he loses his check.
William Shatner He also sounded quite annoyed recently about the lack of checks and balances in the new Twitter space, writing… “Hey @elonmusk what’s that about blue checks disappearing unless we pay on Twitter? I’ve been here for 15 years giving my ⏰ and witty Thoughts all by bupkis. Now you’re telling me I have to pay for something you gave me for free? What is this, the Colombia Records & Tape Club? And Dionne WarwickAlso, he complained about it.
I’m not paying for a blue check. That money could (and will) go towards my extra hot lattes. 😒
—Dionne Warwick (@dionnewarwick) March 31, 2023
She writes, “I’m not going to pay for a blue check. That money could (and will) go toward my extra hot lattes.” Ice T He said something similar this week… promising to turn blue without checks if the time comes. As we inform… Lebron James fiance something like that.
Lots of stars seem willing to lose their check if it means they have to pay, but as of now, pretty much everyone still has their checks… so maybe this is an April Fool’s Day joke?
Important to establish if someone really belongs to an organization or not to avoid impersonation https://t.co/nFnr2hFvbY
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 31, 2023
Probably not. Just a couple of days ago, Elon was pointing people in the direction of Twitter’s Verified Organizations system, which appears to be geared toward ensuring that businesses, news organizations, and other notable entities continue to be verified on Twitter… without identity fraud.
However everyone else including individual journalists etc might have to pay if they want their blue checks. It’s sure to be a show for a while…we’ll see where the chips land.
Good luck to you all. And beware of imposters… something tells us there may be a few among us.
