Some celebrities aren’t sticking around to see what new Twitter owner Elon Musk does to change the social media platform as a handful of them have already announced that they’re leaving for good.
Most of the celebrities calling it quits work in Hollywood, although a few singers and artists have also said that they’re stepping away from Twitter after the Tesla and SpaceX CEO finalized his purchase of the social media platform last week.
Grey’s Anatomy creator Shonda Rhimes tweeted Saturday that she is “Not hanging around for whatever Elon has planned. Bye.”
Actress Tea Leoni, who most recently starred in “Madam Secretary,” also said that she was done using Twitter:
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
Singers Sara Bareilles and Toni Braxton both announced that they were stepping away as well. Ms. Bareilles said, “See you on other platforms, peeps. Sorry, this one’s just not for me,” while Ms. Braxton said she was doing it out of safety reasons.
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
“This is Us” producer Ken Olin had been teasing his departure from Twitter days before he made it official, saying on Oct. 22 that “The day Elon Musk takes ownership of Twitter I’m out. Not that that means much. But I just wanted to declare it.”
True to his word, Mr. Olin tweeted last Friday that he was stepping away from the platform, a day after Mr. Musk finalized his deal to buy Twitter.
Alex Winter, who’s best known for playing Bill along with Keanu Reeves as Ted in the film “Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure,” went as far as to delete his account on Twitter.
“Elon Musk taking over Twitter and making it a private company with less oversight has immediately made the platform more prone to hate speech, targeted attacks, and the spread of disinformation,” Mr. Winter said in an email to NBC News. “If Twitter returns to being a public company run by rational actors, many of us will return.”
Other notable exits include “Billions” co-creator Brian Koppelman, retired pro wrestler and actor Mick Foley and Erik Larsen, the artist for “The Amazing Spider-Man,” NBC reported.
