Twitter gives celebrities with over 1 million followers free blue ‘tick’

On 4/20, Twitter took away the coveted blue checkmarks from every legacy verified, but now they are reinstated, and none of them are paying for it. The users, which include celebrities, journalists, and even a major university, claim that they did not sign up for Twitter Blue, despite being re-verified.

Previously, verification was provided for free to prominent accounts to prevent misinformation and impersonation on the platform. But, now, there is a cost associated with it, $8. Not many want to pay Elon to keep their checkmark for the sake of ethics or whatever reasons they might have.

While some are happy to have their blue check marks back, many others and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have made it clear that they have not subscribed to the Blue.

Comedian and actor Ben Schwartz expressed confusion on Sunday as to why his blue check mark, indicating a verified account on social media, reappeared without his knowledge or consent, tweeting, "I didn't subscribe to anything."

Actor Elijah Wood also noticed on Sunday that his blue check mark had returned just three days after he had previously said goodbye to it, while astrophysicist and TV personality Neil deGrasse Tyson seemed more amused than annoyed when his verification was suddenly restored, writing on Sunday, "The Universe brims with mysteries."

Chrissy Teigen expressed her frustration on Twitter when she discovered that the blue verification checkmark is now being given as a form of punishment, which she referred to as a "badge of shame."

The actor later discovered a way to make the blue checkmark disappear by changing her name, and she jokingly advised commentator Jon Favreau to do the same to get rid of it. She also warned him not to talk about it again, as it might trigger another checkmark to appear.

Chadwick Boseman, Kobe Bryant, and several other deceased celebrities have also been verified under Twitter Blue. The blue checkmark on their accounts now displays a hover-over message stating, "This account is verified because they are subscribed to Twitter Blue and verified their phone number."

Several popular Twitter personalities, including @dril, have started a campaign called #BlockTheBlue, urging users to block anyone who has paid $8 to Elon Musk for a blue checkmark through Twitter Blue.

Musk has been giving Blue subscriptions to celebrities. First, he paid for the blue checkmarks of Stephen King, Lebron James, and William Shatner. However, it remains unknown if Musk is paying for these hundred other celebrities, and if he is, then why.