Elon Musk has confirmed he is "personally" paying for a few celebrities to have a Twitter Blue subscription following the recent removal of legacy verified checkmarks on the social media platform.
Twitter officially removed all legacy verified checkmarks on April 20, meaning anyone who received a blue checkmark for being notable in the public eye would no longer have a special designation on the platform unless they opted to subscribe to Twitter Blue for $8 per month.
However, some high-profile celebrities retained their prized blue checkmarks after the purge even though they previously pledged not to pay out for Twitter Blue. Those included NBA star LeBron James, award-winning actor William Shatner, and legendary author Stephen King.
When you click on the blue checkmark on these accounts, it states that the account is verified because they are "subscribed to Twitter Blue and verified their phone number." King refuted the claim on Twitter, telling his 7.1 million followers that he hadn't subscribed or verified his number.
My Twitter account says I’ve subscribed to Twitter Blue. I haven’t.
— Stephen King (@StephenKing) April 20, 2023
My Twitter account says I’ve given a phone number. I haven’t.
Musk later replied: "You're welcome namaste," indicating that he had covered the cost of King's subscription. For the avoidance of doubt, Musk responded to an article from The Verge about the complimentary checkmarks, confirming that he is "paying for a few personally."
Although that is the case for a select few, the majority of legacy checkmarks have now been removed, which means it's easier than ever for someone to impersonate notable public figures such as celebrities, journalists, or even leaders if they subscribe to Twitter Blue.
As reported late last year, a handful of accounts started impersonating people and companies such as Donald Trump, Elon Musk, and even Nintendo. This caused Twitter to suspend all accounts engaging in this behavior and temporarily suspend the Twitter Blue program.
For more on the ongoing Twitter saga, check out our full timeline that details all the major moments that have occurred since Elon Musk started his $44 billion takeover of the social media platform.
Adele Ankers-Range is a freelance entertainment writer for IGN. Follow her on Twitter.
