File photo of Anthony Bourdain at Atomic Liquors on November 10, 2013 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo … [+]
WireImage
Twitter CEO Elon Musk has changed his mind about the social media platform’s “blue tick” so many times that it can be difficult to keep track. But the billionaire’s latest move is the most confusing.
Musk removed “old” ticks from big-name Twitter accounts on Thursday before beginning to hand them out as a badge of shame to celebrities who didn’t want them. Stephen King, LeBron James and Jason Alexander were just a few of the people who got a free tick after saying very publicly that they wouldn’t pay $8 a month to keep a meaningless icon.
Even Dril, Twitter’s legendary comedy account, was ticked multiple times Saturday, with the pseudonymous comedian constantly changing his name on the platform to get rid of the tick. But Dril was repeatedly branded with the blue check and eventually accepted his fate.
Then something even stranger happened on Saturday afternoon. Twitter started by giving a free tick to anyone with a large following, around 1 million followers or more. The only problem? It’s a way Musk has given a tick to people who have died. And when you click the blue tick on their profiles, it not only means they’re subscribed to Twitter Blue, it also means they’ve shared their phone number.
Who owns the Twitter accounts Musk contaminated with his blatant gesture? Below I’ve compiled a list of notable personalities – whose estates may have an issue with Musk using their dormant accounts to imply they endorse his product.
Twitter ticks used to mean verifying a specific user’s identity, a feature introduced after baseball legend Tony La Russa filed a lawsuit against the social media company over an impersonator in 2009. But Twitter no longer verifies anyone’s identity, meaning a tick is nothing more than a status symbol. Or, considering what the brand has become in just a few days, a digital fool’s hat.
Twitter responded to questions late Saturday with a poop emoji, an automated response set up by Musk that goes to all reporters.
Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers reacts during game 6 of the 2008 NBA Finals in Boston, … [+]
AFP via Getty Images
Kobe Bryant
Basketball superstar Kobe Bryant, who died in a helicopter crash in 2020, has been given a blue tick.
File photo of Anthony Bourdain at Atomic Liquors on November 10, 2013 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo … [+]
WireImage
Anthony Bourdain
Famed chef Anthony Bourdain, who died in 2018, received a blue tick. As you can see if you visit his account, it reads, “This account is verified because they subscribed to Twitter Blue and verified their phone number.”
PASADENA, CA – FEBRUARY 5: Actor Chadwick Boseman poses in the press room at the 47th NAACP Image … [+]
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Chadwick Boseman
Black Panther Marvel star Chadwick Boseman also received a blue tick. Boseman died of cancer in 2020.
LONDON, UK – JULY 13: Soundgarden’s Chris Cornell performs on stage at Day 1 of Hard … [+]
Redferns via Getty Images
Chris Cornell
Chris Cornell, the musician famous for bands like Soundgarden and Audioslave, who died in 2017, has a blue tick.
A managing director of Alarab TV, Jamal Khashoggi, looks on during a press conference in Bahrain … [+]
AFP via Getty Images
Jamal Khashoggi
Jamal Khashoggi, a Washington Post contributor, was killed and dismembered in 2018 on the orders of Saudi Arabia’s ruler, Mohammed bin Salman. Khashoggi received the blue check.
New York, NY – January 06: Actress Kirstie Alley visits SiriusXM Studios on January 6, 2016 in … [+]
Getty Images
Kirstie Alley
Actress Kirstie Alley, who died of cancer in 2022, now has a blue tick. As with all other celebrity accounts, Alley’s Twitter feed states, “This account is verified because they are subscribed to Twitter Blue and have verified their phone number.”
TOKYO – JULY 7: Linkin Park’s Chester Bennington performs on stage at the Tokyo leg of the Live … [+]
Getty Images
Chester Bennington
Linkin Park frontman Chester Bennington, who died in 2017, now has a blue tick.
NEW YORK – APRIL 10: Television personality Barbara Walters arrives at the New Amsterdam Theater … [+]
Getty Images
Barbara Walters
The journalist Barbara Walters, who died in 2022, got a new blue tick.
BEVERLY HILLS, CALIFORNIA – NOVEMBER 3: Bob Saget attends the Women’s Guild Cedars-Sinai Annual … [+]
Getty Images
Bob Saget
Comedian Bob Saget, who died in 2022, has been given a blue tick.
US millionaire John McAfee gestures on his yacht moored in the marina during an interview with AFP … [+]
AFP via Getty Images
John McAfee
Software developer John McAfee, who committed suicide in 2021, has a blue tick.
Michael Jackson (Photo by KMazur/WireImage)
WireImage
Michael Jackson
Pop singer Michael Jackson, who died in 2009, now has a blue tick.
(Original caption) Miami, Florida: Head and shoulders portrait of New York’s Cosmos football … [+]
Bettmann Archive
First
Pele, the legendary soccer player who died in 2022, now has a blue tick.
BURBANK, CA – AUGUST 03: Comedian Norm Macdonald on stage at the Comedy Central Roast Of Bob … [+]
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Norm McDonald
Comedian Norm Macdonald, who died in 2021 and was a prolific Twitter user, now has a blue tick.
OXFORD, ENGLAND – APRIL 16: Author Terry Pratchett poses for a portrait in the annual ‘Sunday Times’. … [+]
Getty Images
Terry Pratchett
Fantasy author Terry Pratchett, who died in 2015, received a blue tick, but Pratchett is the only one on this list with less than 1 million followers. Pratchett’s daughter, who parsed with Musk online, tweeted that she didn’t pay for the tick.
TAMPA, FL – JANUARY 28: US Republican Presidential nominee and US Senator John McCain (R-AZ) … [+]
Getty Images
John McCain
John McCain, a U.S. Senator from Arizona who died in 2018, was ticked.
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