Elon Musk and Shonda Rhimes.
Dimitrios Kambouris / Staff / Getty Images and Frazer Harrison / Staff / Getty Images
Multiple celebrities say they have quit Twitter in the wake of Elon Musk’s takeover.
Musk’s $44 billion deal to buy the social-media platform closed on Thursday.
Some public figures have expressed concern over what the billionaire would do with the platform.
Celebrities are starting to quit Twitter in the wake of Elon Musk’s takeover.
Screenwriter, producer, and showrunner Shonda Rhimes tweeted on Saturday: “Not hanging around for whatever Elon has planned. Bye.”
Rhimes was one of several that turned their back on the platform in the past few days.
It follows online chatter in April, when some stars vowed to leave the platform after Musk’s deal closed, citing concern over what the billionaire would do at the helm of the company.
Since Musk finalized the $44 billion deal, there has been a rise in hate speech on the platform. One research group said that the use of the N-word on Twitter increased by nearly 500% in the 12 hours after the takeover.
Musk, a self-proclaimed “free speech absolutist,” has already announced he is creating a new “content moderation council” for Twitter that would bring together diverse views.
Now, some celebrities are making good on their threats to quit Twitter.
Shonda Rhimes
The “Grey’s Anatomy” and “Bridgerton” creator said on Saturday she was exiting the platform. Rhimes tweeted that she wasn’t planning to hang around “for whatever Elon has planned.”
—shonda rhimes (@shondarhimes) October 29, 2022
Sara Bareilles
The Grammy award-winning singer-songwriter also said she quit the platform over the weekend. Bareilles tweeted on Sunday: “Welp. It’s been fun Twitter. I’m out. See you on other platforms, peeps. Sorry, this one’s just not for me.”
—Sara Bareilles (@SaraBareilles) October 30, 2022
Ken Olin
Olin, an executive producer on the Emmy-award-winning show “This Is Us,” also said he was leaving the social media app. He posted a tweet on Friday, saying: “I’m out of here. No judgment.”
—Ken Olin (@kenolin1) October 28, 2022
Brian Koppelman
Koppelman, the “Billions” showrunner, also closed his account. He told his Twitter followers to follow him on Instagram and TikTok instead.
He said: “Y’all’s, for real, come find me over on instagram and the tok. Gonna really try to take a breather from here for a minute or a month come deal close time.”
Alex Winter
The “Bill & Ted” star also appears to have left the platform. His Twitter profile is blank and he has seemingly erased his tweet history. His bio simply says: “Not here. IG: @alxwinter”