Twitter exodus: See who signed off and who stayed following Elon Musk’s takeover

Elon Musk has officially taken charge of Twitter after finalising a $44billion deal to acquire the social media network. Following this, many Hollywood celebrities have quit the site, while some are contemplating if they should stay or switch to a different platform.

Here’s a list of celebrities who have the hit delete button on Twitter and those who have stayed

Amber Heard

The ‘Aquaman’ actor has seemingly deleted her Twitter account. A Twitter user named ‘That Umbrella Guy' shared a picture of her handle, which read ‘This account doesn’t exist’. Sharing the screengrab, he wrote, ‘Amber Heard has deleted her Twitter.’

For the unversed, Amber Heard and Elon Musk dated from 2016-2018 after the actor’s divorce from Johnny Depp.

Shonda Rhimes

Two days after Elon Musk closed his $44 billion Twitter takeover deal, ‘Grey's Anatomy’ creator informed her nearly 2 million followers that she won’t be hanging around for whatever Elon has planned.

‘Not hanging around for whatever Elon has planned. Bye,’ Rhimes tweeted.

Sara Bareilles

The Grammy-winning singer-songwriter, who had nearly 3 million followers on Twitter, revealed that she’s quitting the site and switching to other platforms.

‘Welp. It's been fun Twitter. I'm out. See you on the other platforms, peeps. Sorry, this one's just not for me,’ Bareilles tweeted along with heart and prayer-hands emojis.

Toni Braxton

The Grammy-winning R&B star said that she’s choosing to stay off Twitter as she is ‘shocked and appalled’ at some of the ‘free speech’ she witnessed on the platform since its acquisition. She added that Twitter is no longer a safe space for her.

‘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,’ Braxton tweeted.

Mick Foley

Foley, retired professional wrestler and actor, took to his verified Facebook and Instagram page to inform everyone that he is taking a ‘break’ from Twitter since the new ownership — and the misinformation and hate it seems to be encouraging — has his 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, but in the meantime, I will continue to post on Facebook and Instagram. I hope all of you will be kind to one another. Please vote if you can too — our democracy seems to be hanging on by a thread,’ he wrote.

Jameela Jamil

Jamil also left and tweeted, ‘One good thing about Elon buying twitter is that I will *FINALLY* leave and stop being a complete menace to society on here. So it’s win win for you all really.’ The actor had initially planned to leave the platform in April.

Josh Gad

The actor is contemplating whether to leave the platform or stay. He even cited his fear that hate speech on Twitter may get worse.

‘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,’ he tweeted.

George Takei

‘Star Trek’ icon George Takei said that he’s not leaving Twitter, and stated that we need to build voices and fight back. ‘I’m not going anywhere. And my follower count actually rose! We need each other’s voices and strength, and I’ve never shied from a fight. When Twitler and the other deplorable are let back on here, I’ll be more than a thorn in their side,’ he tweeted.

Rob Reiner

As soon as Elon Musk took charge of Twitter, the actor-filmmaker tweeted, ‘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!’

Also Watch | Happy birthday, Tabu: Some of her remarkable performances over the years