Elon Musk’s Twitter is sort of like the Wild West, with Musk acting as the new sheriff in town.
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Or maybe he’s the outlaw.
No matter how you view it, Musk is the man with the money, purchasing the social media giant for a cool $44 billion and immediately putting his stamp on the company.
That includes firing the former CEO, massive layoffs and charging $8 bucks a month for anyone to keep their blue verification checkmark.
It has been a total takeover and it has been hostile. Whenever that happens, some people heartily applaud, while others fervently disagree.
Others just try to make a mockery of the whole thing. Even Musk himself seems to enjoy the back-and-forth with others who fall into the category of (not-quite-as) rich and famous. But one thing Musk and his new team aren’t allowing are parody accounts.
Sarah Silverman Calls Out Elon Musk
This apparently has resulted in several celebrities being locked out of their account or banned altogether. Kathy Griffin and Sarah Silverman were reportedly among those impacted. They both. had their accounts suspended after changing their Twitter names to “Elon Musk.”
“Going forward, any Twitter handles engaging in impersonation without clearly specifying ‘parody’ will be permanently suspended,” Musk tweeted. “Previously, we issued a warning before suspension, but now that we are rolling out widespread verification, there will be no warning.
“This will be clearly identified as a condition for signing up to Twitter Blue.”
He continued, “Any name change at all will cause temporary loss of verified checkmark.”
Elon Musk Responds on Twitter
Other celebrities have had their accounts locked since Sunday night, for similarly jokingly posing as Musk — or even other celebrities.
Meanwhile, Griffin used her fake “Elon Musk” account to urge Americans to vote for Democrats in the midterm elections Tuesday, to preserve abortion rights.
“I’ve decided that voting blue for their choice is only right,” she wrote, imitating Musk.
She has not been heard from since as Elon Musk, or Kathy Griffin, on Twitter.
Actor and former NFL punter Chris Kluwe also imitated Musk, and has since fallen silent on the platform.
“There is nothing better than waking up and enjoying a fresh, steaming cup of my own urine,” Kluwe tweeted as Musk. “Such a tangy way to start the day, and it’s scientifically proven to help brain cells grow. If you want to be like me, drink your pee.”
So why are celebrities being locked out of Twitter? For the same reason anyone else would be — for being a parody without making it clear they are faking it.