Gen Z reacts to AOC, Stephen King lashing out at Musk’s Twitter verification fee
University of Texas students sound off after public figures denounced Twitter's plan to charge a verification fee under its new owner, Tesla CEO Elon Musk.
Liberal celebrities and journalists complained after Twitter CEO Elon Musk restored blue check marks to their Twitter profiles without requiring them to pay for verification.
To have a verified account on the social media platform now users must pay $8 a month. Despite the new policy, Musk started restoring the badges to several accounts with over one million followers over the weekend and revealed he's "personally paying" for some accounts to retain their verified status.
However, for many on the left, not having a blue check mark next to their Twitter profile became a sign of their resistance to Musk and his overhaul of Twitter.
After finding out they received their check marks back, several outraged liberal celebrities and media personalities defended themselves.
ELON MUSK, STEPHEN KING TUSSLE ON TWITTER OVER BLUE CHECKS, UKRAINE: ‘HOW MUCH HAVE YOU DONATED?’
Elon Musk said he was personally paying for some Twitter accounts to be verified. ((Photo by Patrick Pleul - Pool/Getty Images))
"Just for the record, I have not subscribed to Twitter, blue, nor will I ever. Dear Elon: Creepy people do creepy things. Best regards, Ron," wrote "Hellboy" actor Ron Perlman.
"Yes, Elon gave me back my blue check but I didn’t pay for it. Does that make me a good guy or a bad guy? I’m so confused," Bette Midler also grumbled. The "Hocus Pocus" actress had complained last week over losing her blue check.
"So far only 400 people have signed on to get their checks back. Guess #Twitter’s going thru an ‘unscheduled disassembly’, too," she added, referencing a malfunction during a recent rocket launch test conducted by Musk's aerospace company SpaceX.
"X-Men" and "Lord of the Rings" actor Ian McKellen let his fans know he wasn't happy about it either.
Liberal celebrities like Ian McKellen and Bette Midler complained over Elon Musk allowing them to keep their verification blue check marks on Twitter. (McKellen: Reuters Musk: (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, File) Midler: Getty Images)
"Despite the implication when you click the blue badge that has mysteriously re-appeared beside my name, I am not paying for the ‘honour,’" he announced.
Meanwhile, comedian Patton Oswalt seemed relieved to discover a hack for getting rid of the blue check.
"Whew! Did the ‘change your name then change it back’ trick and the blue check went away. Good to know," he tweeted.
Media commentators were also upset to see their accounts verified again.
New York Times columnist Paul Krugman continued to defend President Biden at every turn, arguing on Monday that "Bidenomics" has benefited American workers. (Ricardo Rubio/Europa Press via Getty Images))
New York Times columnist Paul Krugman, liberal podcast host Kara Swisher and MSNBC executive producer Kyle Griffin wanted their followers to know they had "nothing to do" with getting their check marks back.
"So my blue check has reappeared. I had nothing to do with that, and am definitely not paying," Krugman tweeted. Afterwards, Musk replied with a toddler crying meme.
Swisher was also furious at the free gesture given "without [her] consent," writing, "Good lord, I’ve been LeBroned, Shatnered, Kinged without my consent. No means no, boys."
Swisher followed up by arguing there was "thorny legal implications" to Twitter's move of restoring some verified accounts to imply they paid.
MSNBC's Griffin also griped, "I did not subscribe to Twitter Blue. I would never."
The social media platform launched Twitter Blue last week causing many journalists, actors and other notable figures such as former President Donald Trump to lose their blue check verification badges.
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Before Musk completed his takeover of Twitter, some celebrities, political commentators and journalists received blue checks to prove they were real people. That all changed Thursday, when Musk delivered on his promise to make Twitter a pay-to-play platform for users who want to prove that they are who they say they are.
Fox News' Jeffrey Clark contributed to this report.