…Researched and contributed by Lola Smith.
Elon Musk has finally fulfilled his threat to purge Twitter of its “legacy” blue tick verification accounts.
Musk had announced plans to move the checkmarks behind a paywall last October, but put the changes on hold following an embarrassing episode where accounts posing as politicians, celebrities and brands had their accounts verified.
Yesterday, some of the world’s most famous figures were affected by the cull, including Beyonce, JK Rowling, Justin Bieber and even the Pope.
Musk has personally intervened to keep a handful of celebrities verified, including Star Trek’s William Shatner, NBA legend LeBron James and author Stephen King.
Many film and TV stars have also paid up to keep their checkmarks.
Comedians Eddie Izzard and Neil Patrick Harris, chat show hosts Ellen DeGeneres and Jimmy Fallon, and musicians Ed Sheeran, Rihanna, Cardi B, Coldplay, The Weeknd, and Miley Cyrus are among those to have retained their blue ticks.
Sports stars have been less successful, with men’s world tennis number one Novak Djokovic the only high-profile athlete to have kept his verification.
Other celebrities who have paid for Twitter Blue include YouTube influencers Logan and Jake Paul, Spotify podcast host Joe Rogan and Fox News host Tucker Carlson.
Musk, who is affiliated with Twitter, has kept his blue tick, as have other company employees.
Pre-takeover, Twitter had around 300,000 verified users under the original blue tick system.