After months of seemingly empty threats to get Twitter to delete its verified accounts, Elon Musk has finally cleared the platform of the “legacy” blue tick.
The billionaire announced plans to move the checkmark behind the paywall shortly after he took office. A $44bn (£38bn) acquisition last Octoberalthough the embarrassing scene made the platform full of accounts Impersonating Celebrity Brands and Politicians Put changes on hold.
but musk With an ax swinging Thursday, some of the world’s most high-profile figures were affected, Including Beyoncé, JK Rowling, Justin Bieber, and even the Pope.
Twitter Verification now requires a Twitter Blue subscription
Now, the next morning revealed a number of famous pop stars, actors and sports icons who have shelled out cash (up to £11 a month in the UK) – or got help – to stay blue.
Three Musketeers
Star TrekWilliam Shatner, NBA Legend LeBron Jamesand author stephen king Their blue ticks were kept at the request of Musk himself.
Both James and King say they won’t pay necessary fees Twitter Blue subscription.
When it was discovered that King was still verified after the strike, he tweeted: “My twitter account said I had subscribed to Twitter Blue. My twitter account said I had provided my phone number. I hadn’t.”
Musk revealed that he is “personally paying” to keep some celebrities authenticated.
“correct ShatnerLeBron & Kim,” he tweeted.
movie star
should there be another Miracle Civil War – maybe the dividing line over who pays for Twitter’s checkmarks.
although robert downey jr Chris Evans is not ticklish, Chris Hemsworth, ryan reynoldsand Hugh Jackman Stay verified.
Thor is still being verified…
…but Iron Man doesn’t
Also proven are comedians Eddie Izzard and Neil Patrick Harris.
Two of America’s most famous talk show hosts, Ellen DeGeneres and Jimmy Fallon, also paid.
But there’s another divide when it comes to wrestler-turned-actors, Dwayne Johnson Doesn’t itch, but John Cena keeps his.
We can see you, John Cena…
…but rocks?now this could be anyone
musician
Taylor SwiftThe breakup is the stuff of musical folklore, and she doesn’t seem ready to say goodbye to her Twitter checkmark just yet.
Look what you made her do, Elon…
Ed Sheeranaccount highlighted with a gold check mark – he’s a pretty big guy, but these should be for Proven Organizations and Businessesrather than individuals.
Other still influential music stars included rihannaThe Weeknd, Coldplay, Cardi B and miley cyrus.
britney spears Validated despite an obvious attempt to hide it in some emoji.
Britney’s check mark is hidden in some emoji – but we found it…
athletic star
Unlike longtime Serbia rivals, men’s world tennis number one Novak Djokovic has kept his form Roger FedererRafael Nadal and the British Andy Murray.
In fact, the world of tennis is a good example of how the verification approach under Musk is a bit ridiculous.
A search of Nadal revealed that while his account is now unverified, one fan account did have a checkmark that was once used to help people identify which profiles were authentic and associated with celebrities.
One of them is the real Rafael Nadal
Jude Bellingham appears to be the only English footballer still verified, though he has his German club Borussia Dortmund to thank.
and Lineker Also kept him ticked so you know if he ever gets into trouble with the BBC again it’s definitely him.
Jude Bellingham’s Twitter account is still verified thanks to Borussia Dortmund
other celebrities
Other big names paid for Twitter Blue include YouTube influencers Logan and Jake Paul, Spotify podcast host Joe Logan and Fox News host Tucker Carlson.
Unlike her sisters, Khloe Kardashian is also signed.
Musk himself, like other company employees, certainly puts a blue tick on his relationship with Twitter.
Before the acquisition, Twitter had about 300,000 verified users under its original blue tick system, which required users to prove they were who they said they were.