Shonda Rhimes, Toni Braxton and Other Celebrities Quit Twitter Following Elon Musk Takeover

Multiple celebrities have spoken out about Twitter’s restrictions for hate speech and the uptick in the N-word since the Elon Musk takeover.

And while the Telsa CEO said he would not be reinstating any banned accounts or making “major” changes to the company’s content policies until he appoints a “content moderation council with widely diverse viewpoints,” still the takeover has emboldened trolls to spew out hate speech, raising concerns among notable names.

LeBron James is just one of many celebrities that have expressed concerns about the app’s new guidelines.

I dont know Elon Musk and, tbh, I could care less who owns twitter. But I will say that if this is true, I hope he and his people take this very seriously because this is scary AF. So many damn unfit people saying hate speech is free speech. https://t.co/Sy0jvXIBnC

— LeBron James (@KingJames) October 29, 2022

James tweeted on Friday, “I dont know Elon Musk and, tbh, I could care less who owns Twitter. But I will say that if this is true, I hope he and his people take this very seriously because this is scary AF. So many damn unfit people saying hate speech is free speech.”

Since Musk’s takeover, several celebrities have exited the digital platform, including:

Shonda Rhimes 

Rhimes tweeted to her 2 million followers shortly after the takeover that she would not be sticking around for whatever Musk has planned before saying, “Bye.”

Not hanging around for whatever Elon has planned. Bye.

— shonda rhimes (@shondarhimes) October 29, 2022

Toni Braxton 

Braxton said she does not stand with the “free speech” or the excess free speech in the app. She has since tweeted, hinting at an exit.

I'm shocked and appalled at some of the "free speech" I've seen on this platform since its acquisition. Hate speech under the veil of "free speech" is unacceptable; therefore I am choosing to stay off Twitter as it is no longer a safe space for myself, my sons and other POC.

— Toni Braxton (@tonibraxton) October 29, 2022

Alex Winter 

The filmmaker and actor changed his Twitter bio to “not here” and linked to his Instagram page.

Brian Koppelman 

Co-creator of Showtime’s “Billions” announced his reasoning for leaving the platform, saying, “Y’all’s, for real, come find me over on instagram and the tok. Gonna really try to take a breather from here for a minute or a month come deal close time.”

Sara Bareilles 

The Grammy-winger singer tweeted her last tweet on Sunday.

Welp. It’s been fun Twitter. I’m out. See you on other platforms, peeps. Sorry, this one’s just not for me. ❤️🙏🏼

— Sara Bareilles (@SaraBareilles) October 30, 2022