Ian McKellen, David Mitchell and Neil Gaiman are among the celebrities whose “blue ticks” have been reinstated on Twitter.
It’s only been a few days since stars such as Ricky Gervais and Richard Osman reacted to the removal of their Twitter “blue checkmarks” and already many of them have reclaimed the verification badge.
Earlier this week, Twitter CEO Elon Musk finally removed “legacy verified” marks on celebrity accounts. Even big-name artists such as Beyoncé have had their ticks revoked.
Users now have to pay a monthly fee to be “verified” on the social media platform.
A few days later, Sunday April 23, many celebrities were disturbed to see that their ticks had in fact been reinstated.
Many took to Twitter to clarify that they hadn’t paid the blue tick.
“My blue tick reappeared,” wrote Gervais, who initially scoffed at the move. “I can only assume this is a giveaway for all the bath pics over the years.”
peep show Star David Mitchell wrote: “They said the blue ticks would go away but mine didn’t. It’s mind games. For the avoidance of doubt, I didn’t pay – so I’m still the product, not the customer.
Ian McKellen also had his tick restored. The Lord of the Rings star clarified her situation, writing, “Despite the implication when you click on the blue badge that mysteriously reappeared next to my name, I’m not paying for ‘the honor’.”
Rylan Clark seemed puzzled by the sudden change, adding, “Wait. Why is my blue tick back? I’m sick and it’s pissing me off.
The sand man writer Neil Gaiman responded to a fan who asked if he paid for the verification badge.
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“No I didn’t pay,” Gaiman wrote. Earlier he wrote: ‘I woke up to find I got blue ticked again. I didn’t pay for Twitter or give my phone number to anyone.
“Mr. Musk, if you’re paying for people who don’t want blue ticks to have them. Stephen King’s suggestion to donate the money to charity is great. To refugees, maybe?
The horror legend was one of the first to have his tick restored. Stephen King wrote on Twitter on April 20: “My Twitter account says I follow Twitter Blue. I do not have. My Twitter account says I gave a phone number. I did not do it.
On April 22, King added, “I think Mr. Musk should donate my blue check to charity.”
He then recommended that Musk donate the funds to the Prytula Foundation, which “provides vital services in Ukraine.”
“It’s only $8, so maybe Mr. Musk could add a little more.”
Seinfeld Star Jason Alexander has also spoken out about the blue tick debacle, writing on April 21 that his verification has been removed and he will no longer post on the app.
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General view of the Twitter poll result, displayed on a mobile phone (Yui Mok/PA)
(PA wire)
On Sunday, Alexander expressed his confusion that he had been reinstated, writing: ‘I haven’t paid anything. I didn’t give any number. Stephen King reported the same.
“My account remains so no one steals the account name. And I can tell you that this madness didn’t happen on Insta or Spoutible.
Dara Ó Briain, Andy Murray and Osman are also among the stars to speak out about the situation.
The reinstatement of those blue ticks comes after Musk revealed he was personally paying for three celebrities – basketball star LeBron James, actor William Shatner and writer Stephen King – to subscribe to Twitter Blue. All three had previously signaled their intention not to pay.
Critics of the decision to remove “blue checkmarks” argued that it would be much easier for misinformation to spread, with users less able to identify whether a celebrity account is legitimate or not.