The Last of Us star Bella Ramsey announced she would no longer be using Twitter on Friday (21 April).
She was among the many celebrities and people who were “legacy verified” on the platform to lose their blue ticks today.
Twitter CEO Elon Musk decided that users must now pay a monthly fee in order to be “verified” on the social media site.
Critics of the change have argued that the move will make it far easier for misinformation to spread, with users now unable to tell whether or not a celebrity account is legitimate.
“Twitter it’s been fun,” Ramsey tweeted. “My account will still be active for now but I will not be on here! Thank you my gay army and all the rest. Love you.”
The 19-year-old British actor most recently used her Twitter account to wish her childhood self a happy Trans Day of Visibility.
She previously told The New York Times in January that her “gender has always been very fluid”.
As Ramsey announced her hiatus from the platform, many celebrities took the opportunity to mock Musk over the change.
“My blue tick has gone. I’m not sure if I’m really me or not,” wrote Ricky Gervais, alongside a photo of his face gurning in the bathtub.
Richard Osman, star of Pointless and a bestselling novelist, wrote: “Farewell blue tick, old friend.
“Don’t forget, always set your feed to ‘Following’ rather than ‘For You’. Then you’ll keep seeing the people you actually follow, and not people who’ve paid for attention.”
Musk revealed that he is personally paying for three celebrities – basketball star LeBron James, actor William Shatner, and writer Stephen King – to subscribe to Twitter Blue. All three had previously signalled their intent not to pay.
While celebrities no longer have blue ticks, government organisations will remain verified, as will state-affiliated representatives, companies, or media entities.
