Twitter left users dumbfounded over the weekend after it took away and then reinstated its “blue check” status symbol for long-dead celebrities and politicians such as Michael Jackson, Anthony Bourdain, and Hugo Chavez.
Other deceased luminaries whose Twitter accounts have had their blue checks restored include Kobe Bryant, assassinated Japanese leader Shinzo Abe, “Fast and Furious” star actor Paul Walker, and “Black Panther” headliner Chadwick Boseman.
Twitter also restored the blue check to the account of Jamal Khashoggi, the Washington Post columnist who disappeared after entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in October 2018.
Several still-living, high-profile celebrities including author Stephen King, “Seinfeld” actor Jason Alexander and Lakers superstar LeBron James had their blue checks restored — though some of them insisted that they did not pay the $8 monthly subscription fee for Twitter Blue that confers the tick.
“For the curious, I’m not subscribed to Twitter Blue. I haven’t given anyone my phone number,” Neil Gaiman, the author of fantasy books, tweeted to his 3 million followers over the weekend.
Ian McKellen, the British actor, denied that he was “paying for the ‘honor’” of having a blue checkmark after his status was restored.
The museum at the Auschwitz-Birkenau death camp sought to clarify to its followers that it “never subscribed and paid” for Twitter Blue.
Twitter has not explained the reasoning behind its actions, though Twitter CEO Elon Musk has said that he would be “personally paying” for Twitter Blue subscriptions for James, King, and “Star Trek” legend William Shatner.
“My Twitter account says I’ve subscribed to Twitter Blue. I haven’t,” King tweeted to his more than 7.1 million followers. “My Twitter account says I’ve given a phone number. I haven’t. Just so you know.”
“You’re welcome namaste,” Musk replied.
Musk, the Tesla mogul who bought Twitter for $44 billion last fall and has been looking for ways to generate revenue at the cash-strapped social media service, rolled out the subscription plan earlier this year and vowed to remove the verified checkmarks for those who refused to pony up the $8-a-month fee.
Last week, several Twitter accounts with massive followings, including those of large media organizations such as the New York Times, Fox News, and the BBC, saw their blue ticks disappear.
But the checkmarks mysteriously returned to several large-scale Twitter handles with the message that the “account is verified because they are subscribed to Twitter Blue and verified their phone number.”
Twitter restored the accounts of dead celebrities including Bryant, the basketball great who died alongside his daughter and seven others in a helicopter crash in Southern California in January 2020.
Bourdain, the renowned chef and host of a popular CNN travel and food show, had his blue check restored even though his Twitter account has been dormant since he died by suicide in 2018.
Chavez, the late socialist ruler of Venezuela, has been dead for a decade, yet his Twitter account had its blue mark restored.
Intelligence officials in the US and other Western countries allege that Saudi Arabia and its de-facto ruler, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, arranged the killing of Khashoggi, a US resident.
James’ media adviser, Adam Mendelsohn, confirmed to The Verge that he hadn’t paid for the service. A Twitter employee purportedly emailed James recently to inform him that the company had decided to “extend a complimentary subscription to Twitter Blue for your account, @kingjames, on behalf of Elon Musk.”
Musk later revealed that he was covering the bill.
“I’m paying for a few personally,” Musk tweeted. “Just Shatner, LeBron and King.”
Other stars, such as actor Charlie Sheen, had their blue tickets taken away. Sheen, the “Platoon” actor, even begged Musk to restore his checkmark.
The verified account purge – which was rolled out on 4/20 – had been expected for months. Musk had described Twitter’s verification process under old management as a “lords and peasants system” that was unfair to rank-and-file users.
At the same time, Musk is looking for additional sources of revenue at Twitter due to a significant decline in advertising since he took over the company last October.
Additional Reporting by Thomas Barrabi