Elon Musk is Covering the Tab for Stephen King, LeBron James and William Shatner to keep Their Blue Check While Many Others Lost Theirs Today

Elon Musk, the new owner of Twitter, has announced that he will be paying for the Twitter verification of LeBron James, William Shatner, and Stephen King. This comes after many other celebrities lost their blue check marks on the social media platform today because they refused to pay for the new Twitter Blue subscription service.

Musk mentioned that he is personally paying for a few accounts on Twitter to stay verified. He believes that verification is important for public figures and journalists, and he wants to make sure that the most important voices on the platform are not silenced.

James, Shatner, and King are all among the most followed people on Twitter. James has over 50 million followers, Shatner has over 2.5 million followers, and King has over 7 million followers.

Musk’s decision to pay for the verification of these three celebrities is a sign that he is fans of these men. He has said in the past that he believes that Twitter should be a digital town square where people can express their opinions without fear of censorship.

It is unclear how many other celebrities Musk will pay for to have their blue check marks restored. However, his decision to pay for James, Shatner, and King is a positive step for encouraging people to see Musk in a human light.

Reactions to Musk’s Decision

Musk’s decision to pay for the verification of these three celebrities has been met with mixed reactions.

Why is @elonmusk giving @TwitterBlue free of charge to @WilliamShatner, @KingJames, and @StephenKing but no other authors, celebrities, or athletes? #TwitterBlue #bluecheck #BlueCheckMark #ElonMusk #williamshatner #LeBronJames #stephenking https://t.co/HvEb1pD8ro

— Sideburns Lady 🌻 (@S1deburnsLady) April 21, 2023

Holy crap! They have to be subsidized by Elon! HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!! @KingJames is such a bitch, hahahahahaaaa!!!!!!! https://t.co/ad7iuorvkp pic.twitter.com/TbSWX8eeq6

— Skulled Sand Wedge (@GeorgiaMan45) April 21, 2023

How benevolent…🙄 https://t.co/mKmIAhCAdu pic.twitter.com/NBPgHgUGfq

— The Fourth Musketeer (@Musketeer_IV) April 21, 2023

Oh my gosh 🤣 https://t.co/iWm0mQfnUR

— 11202011 🇺🇸TINA♉️ (@11202011t) April 21, 2023

Legends https://t.co/FhSFlodReE

— João Vitor (@JoaovkLn) April 21, 2023

Overall, Musk’s decision to pay for the verification of these three celebrities has been met with mixed reactions. Some people have praised Musk for his support of free speech, while others have criticized him for giving preferential treatment to these celebrities. It remains to be seen how many other celebrities will pay to have their blue check marks restored after their tantrums are over.

Musk responded to a tweet which explained his move:

“Elon Musk reveals he is ‘personally paying’ the Twitter Blue subscriptions of some celebrities to keep their checkmark, such as Lebron James and Stephen King.”

Musk:

“Just Shatner, LeBron and King”

Just Shatner, LeBron and King

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 21, 2023

Earlier today we reported that James still had his blue check while others did not and we speculated about it.

Entitled Elites who Won’t Pay Lose Blue Checks on Twitter as Elon Musk Makes Good on his Promise to Level the Playing Field