Hollywood celebrities are up in arms over Elon Musk’s latest move to charge people for Twitter Blue verification. The move has been met with a wave of outrage from A-listers who are used to receiving free things all the time, like expensive swag bags at award shows.
Actress and activist, Alyssa Milano, was one of many to take to Twitter to express her displeasure. “So by revoking my blue check mark because I wouldn’t pay some arbitrary fee, someone can just be me and say a bunch of bullshit. Does that mean Twitter and @elonmusk are liable for defamation or identity theft or fraud?” she tweeted.
Other celebrities quickly followed suit, with many taking the opportunity to showcase their ignorance of basic economics. “I mean, I already have a boat load of followers, so why should I pay for verification?” complained one reality TV star.
After Alyssa Milano’s tweet went viral, other celebrities also took to Twitter to vent their frustrations. Pop star Ariana Grande tweeted, “I can’t believe @elonmusk wants us to pay for a blue check mark! What’s next, charging us for air? #Ridiculous.” Rapper Snoop Dogg also chimed in, saying, “I ain’t payin’ shit for no verification. @elonmusk can kiss my ass.”
Elon Musk, for his part, seemed to revel in the attention from the celebrities. He responded to Ariana Grande’s tweet with a tongue-in-cheek suggestion: “Maybe you can offer to perform at one of our SpaceX launches in exchange for verification?”
Another celebrity, who wished to remain anonymous, said that they were considering suing Elon Musk for emotional distress. “I wake up every day and check my Twitter account, and now I have to see that ugly little blue check mark next to some nobody’s name just because they paid for it? It’s just not fair.”
As the outrage continued to spread, other celebrities began to weigh in. Singer John Legend tweeted, “I thought Twitter verification was supposed to be a way to prevent identity theft and impersonation. If people can just pay for it, what’s the point?” Actress Kristen Bell echoed this sentiment, writing, “I agree with John. This just seems like a way for @elonmusk to make more money off of us.”
Elon Musk, however, remained unapologetic. In response to John Legend’s tweet, he wrote, “Verification is still a way to prevent impersonation, but it also costs money to maintain the system. Would you rather have no verification at all?” And to Kristen Bell, he replied, “Hey, at least I’m not charging you to watch my movies on Disney+.” “Sorry to hear that you’re upset about paying $8 for verification. Maybe you should try selling one of your mansions to cover the cost?” he tweeted at one outraged celebrity in sarcastic fashion.
It remains to be seen whether the celebrities will actually follow through on their threats of legal action or if they will simply continue to whine on social media. In any case, it seems that Elon Musk’s latest move has hit a nerve with the entitled Hollywood elite.
