Leftist activist and actress Bette Midler had a tantrum on Twitter after she lost her blue checkmark Thursday as part of a planned update to the social media platform.
“Elon, deciding that I’m not me, I’m a fake, & obliging ME, who has contributed mightily to your platform, (at least until you “tweaked the algorithm & tanked my metrics”) to pay monthly because you don’t have enough money & you’re humiliated b/c everyone thinks you’re a pathetic douche, is the funniest thing you’ve ever done. Let that sink in. Sorry to hear about your rocket,” she wrote, addressing billionaire Twitter owner Elon Musk.
The “Hocus Pocus” actress had already complained about the development earlier in the day.
“Elon took my blue check away! I’m unverified! After all these years and thousands of tweets and free content, this worm has the nerve to de-certify me,” she wrote. That message went viral, earning 1.9 million views and many mocking replies.
Elon took my blue check away! I’m unverified! After all these years and thousands of tweets and free content, this worm has the nerve to de-certify me!
— bettemidler (@BetteMidler) April 20, 2023
“Sorry for your loss, life is tough,” the Hodge twins wrote.
“And you are…?” Ron Coleman replied. Another user replied to Coleman with, “I didn’t even know she was still alive, much less on Twitter.”
“If you had any self awareness, this tweet would embarrass you,” a third person said.
Following the update, only government accounts were eligible for free verification on Twitter. Individuals and businesses now need to pay the social media platform $8 per month to be part of the Twitter Blue program, which also permits the edit feature on tweets.
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Meme maker Carpe Donktum started a joke GoFundMe for Midler to raise funds for her verification. “In light of the recent Blue Check tragedy. A GoFundMe has been set up for one of the most tragic victims, [Bette Midler],” user CasuallyGreg wrote. “Please donate what you can to support this poor unfortunate woman.”
As of Friday morning, the campaign had raised $160.
While almost all celebrities lost their blue checkmarks with the update, Musk made sure that three prominent figures who publicly promised they would never subscribe to Twitter Blue kept their verified status despite not paying for it.
NBA star LeBron James, horror author Stephen King, and “Star Trek” actor William Shatner are all still verified on Twitter.
King tweeted on Thursday, “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 by saying, “You’re welcome namaste.” The world’s richest man later confirmed he had kept blue checks for “just Shatner, LeBron and King.”