Twitter Blue Checks Are Kind Of Cheugy Now

It’s no secret Twitter has had its fair share of shake-ups since Elon Musk acquired the platform in October 2022, but nothing has altered its legacy quite like the latest blue check debacle. Twitter removed all non-Twitter Blue users’ verification badges on April 20, but then quickly reinstated blue checks for a few choice celebrities against their wishes. This led many actors, singers, and sports stars to publicly denounce their verification in front of their millions of followers, which begs the question: Is it officially uncool to have a blue check on Twitter?

In case you need a refresher, it was announced on April 19 that the only way legacy verified accounts will be able to keep their blue checks past April 20 is by subscribing to Twitter’s paid subscription tier, Twitter Blue, for $8 per month. Of course, that didn’t last long, because as soon as celebrities started to announce they wouldn’t be paying for the tier system, and some even announced their departure from the app completely, Twitter began reinstating blue checks to select accounts with over 1 million followers, per the BBC.

Back in Twitter’s heyday, verified accounts were the tastemakers of the app and wore their blue checks like a badge of honor. Now, the blue check, once a symbol of hierarchy and status, has become a scarlet letter (or should I say, turquoise letter) for a few chosen celebrities, like Lil Nas X. Two days after losing his checkmark, Lil Nas X’s badge reappeared next to his name seemingly against his will. “On my soul i didn’t pay for twitter blue, u will feel my wrath tesla man!”, the rapper tweeted on April 22.

Actress Bette Midler found herself in a similar predicament, tweeting on April 23, “Yes, Elon gave me back my blue check but I didn’t pay for it.” The same goes for Olympic gymnast Simone Biles Owens, who discovered her blue check had returned that same day, even though she didn’t do “anything” on her end to bring it back.

Actor Jason Alexander bid the app farewell after announcing he wouldn’t be paying for his verification, only for his blue check to return on April 22. “Friends told me my blue verified check was restored,” the Seinfeld alum tweeted. “Dont know why. I've paid nothing. I gave no number.”

When you tap the verification badge connected to Lil Nas X and Alexander’s respective accounts, a pop-up message appears that reads, “This account is verified because they are subscribed to Twitter Blue and verified their phone number.” (It’s important to note that Midler and Owens no longer have a blue checkmark as of May 1).

Alexander went on to say that the same thing also happened to author Stephen King, though his verification is less of a mystery than most. On April 20, Elon Musk tweeted that he would pay for verification badges “personally” for three personalities: Stephen King, William Shatner, and LeBron James.

Prior to Musk’s announcement, LeBron James made it clear he wouldn’t be paying for his verification back in March, tweeting, “Welp guess my blue [check] will be gone soon cause if you know me I ain’t paying the 5.” After his badge survived the blue check rapture on April 20, The Verge reported that James was one of the few accounts who was offered a “complimentary subscription to Twitter Blue,” despite his account implying he is a paid subscriber. King also shared his refusal to pay back in October 2022, while Shatner exchanged some words with Musk regarding the matter in March.

It feels like it wasn’t long ago that users would beg for their account to be verified, tweeting at former Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey every chance they could to persuade him to approve their verification. So why does no one want their blue checks all of a sudden? Surely each personality has their own reasons (i.e. they don’t want to pay, they’re not active on Twitter, they want to be part of the “normal folks” online), but given the amount of chaos that Musk’s takeover has caused, it’s hard not to take this as a sign that Twitter has lost its cultural cache altogether. Blue checks once separated the Haves from the Have Nots — or just help you find the best meme accounts to follow — but now that the app has become borderline unusable with an inconsistent Following tab and impersonation accounts everywhere you turn.

Many recently unverified celebrities are loving their new check-less era, further proving that the checkmark is no longer the status symbol it once was. Singer Charli XCX celebrated her emancipation from the verification badge, tweeting, “officially no longer an officially verified artist. i love being unofficial and unverified. it’s very moi,” and Halle Berry happily announced her un-verification with a cheeky video of her at an award show.

Though the symbol may not be “cool” anymore, it’s surely made it a lot harder for journalists and reporters to stand out above the noise. Luckily, if you’re not ready to say goodbye to your blue check just yet, some users have discovered a potential loophole that lets formerly verified accounts earn their badge back without forking over the $8. According to user @alisegel, putting the words “former blue check” in your bio may trigger a “coding error” and make the checkmark reappear next to your name. That said, the self-proclaimed “former blue check” deleted the phrase because the badge “weirded [her] out,” and if that’s not proof the blue checkmark era is over, IDK what is.