Hollywood’s Twitter Exodus: Who Has Quit, Who Has Threatened To Quit And Who Refuses To Leave
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Ever since Elon Musk announced he would buy Twitter in April, a number of prominent showbiz types have had a sinking feeling. Some of them, like Mia Farrow, announced at the time that they were considering quitting.
The actress wrote in April, “Well if Twitter becomes even more toxic—with Trumpy-treasonous lies & all the hatred—it will be taken less seriously, and people like me will quit—for peace of mind.”
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She has since modulated that stance expressing hope that Musk can “keep Twitter worthy of your previous achievements and of lawful people everywhere.”
Wrestling legend Mick Foley wrote in April, “I’ll be giving some serious thought to leaving [Twitter] for good in the near future…I do not have a good feeling about where this platform is heading.”
It looks like Foley did, indeed, delete his Twitter account in the past few days after Musk officially took over, but Foley indicated in a post on Facebook that he may be back.
“I decided I needed a @twitter break,” wrote Foley, “since the new ownership – and the misinformation and hate it seems to be encouraging – has my stomach in a knot. I really do enjoy connecting with all of you on social media, but it can get overwhelming sometimes. I think I’ll be back on in a few weeks…”
The others who more recently either deleted their accounts or definitively announced that they are quitting the platform include Grey’s Anatomy/Bridgerton/Private Practice mastermind Shonda Rhimes, Grammy-winner Sarah Bareilles and Thirtysomething actor and This Is Us producer Ken Olin.
A range of other prominent figures have either threatened to quit (Stephen King), signed off for a break which may or may not become permanent (Toni Braxton, Téa Leoni, Josh Gad and Billions co-creator Brian Koppelman, Bill & Ted star Alex Winter), expressed concern (tech journalist Kara Swisher) or have defiantly said they will stay and fight the tide of nastiness (Rob Reiner and George Takei).
See below for a breakdown of all the tweets by category, with context as needed.
Those Who Quit
Not hanging around for whatever Elon has planned. Bye.
— shonda rhimes (@shondarhimes) October 29, 2022
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
Hey all –
I’m out of here. No judgement.
Let’s keep the faith.
Let’s protect our democracy.
Let’s try to be kinder.
Let’s try to save the planet.
Let’s try to be more generous.
Let’s look to find peace in the world.
💙— Ken Olin (@kenolin1) October 28, 2022
Threatened to Quit
$20 a month to keep my blue check? Fuck that, they should pay me. If that gets instituted, I’m gone like Enron.
— Stephen King (@StephenKing) October 31, 2022
Somewhere in Between
I'm shocked and appalled at some of the "free speech" I've seen on this platform since its acquisition. Hate speech under the veil of "free speech" is unacceptable; therefore I am choosing to stay off Twitter as it is no longer a safe space for myself, my sons and other POC.
— Toni Braxton (@tonibraxton) October 29, 2022
Hi everyone. I’m coming off Twitter today—let’s see where we are when the dust settles. Today the dust has revealed too much hate, too much in the wrong direction. Love, kindness, and possibilities for all of you, thank you,
xoxtéa— Téa Leoni (@TeaLeoni) October 29, 2022
Large exodus happening on this platform. Not sure if I stay or not. Leaning toward staying, but if today is a sign of things to come, not sure what the point is. Freedom of speech is great. Hate speech intended to incite harm, (with no consequences) ain’t what I signed up for.
— Josh Gad (@joshgad) October 29, 2022
Billions co-creator Koppelman recently set his account to private after tweeting, “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.”
Actor Alex Winter did likewise sometime after Musk took over, making his account private and setting his bio to read, “Not here,” with a link to his Instagram profile on which he posted a tweet from Musk which says, “Comedy is now legal on Twitter.” Winter’s reply on Instagram? “RIP Twitter.”
You gave us Tesla ♥️ and Space X♥️👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽. Thank you! Hope you can keep Twitter worthy of your previous achievements and of lawful people everywhere
— Mia Farrow🇺🇦 (@MiaFarrow) April 27, 2022
I’m not leaving Twitter, where I am an active user and I also am trying to create some substantive content via @TwitterSpaces. But I am def evaluating how actually good it is for my various biz endeavors, like organic marketing for the pod, more than ever. Personal enjoyment too. https://t.co/0tfqtui7IR
— Kara Swisher (@karaswisher) October 30, 2022
Against Leaving
For those who are fighting to preserve our Constitutional Democracy, now is not the time to leave Twitter. Now is the time to VOTE BLUE!
— Rob Reiner (@robreiner) October 28, 2022
I’m not going anywhere. Should this place become more toxic, I pledge to strive even harder to lift up reason, science, compassion and the rule of law. The struggle against fascism, misinformation, and hate requires tough fighters. I hope you stay in the fight, right beside me.
— George Takei (@GeorgeTakei) April 25, 2022
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