Chaos prevailed on Twitter on Friday when Elon Musk finally removed all legacy verified accounts with Blue check marks but allowed some celebrities to retain it.
In India, one has to shell out Rs 900 a month (or Rs 9,400 a year) to get Blue Verified status.
As more than 4 lakh legacy verified users bid goodbye to the Blue check marks, some celebrities have been offered a complimentary Twitter Blue subscription “on behalf of Musk”.
“I am paying for a few personally,” said Musk. “Just William Shatner, LeBron James and Stephen King,” he added.
Stephen King tweeted: “My Twitter account says I’ve subscribed to Twitter Blue. I haven’t. My Twitter account says I’ve given a phone number. I haven’t”.
Musk replied: “You’re welcome namaste.”
The Pope got downgraded along with Beyonce, Kim Kardashian and Oprah Winfrey.
Rihanna and Taylor Swift still had Blue ticks but it was not sure if they bought it or Musk allowed those to remain.
“Me joining you all tomorrow unverified,” tweeted actress Halle Berry, indicating she is not going to pay Musk for the Blue badge.
Many other NBA players, like Stephen Curry, Zion Williamson, and Ja Morant also lost their blue checks.