Elton John announced Friday that he’s quitting Twitter — attributing his decision to a policy shift at the company he says will contribute to worldwide division.
“All my life I’ve tried to use music to bring people together. Yet it saddens me to see how misinformation is now being used to divide our world,” the Rocket Man tweeted.
“I’ve decided to no longer use Twitter, given their recent change in policy which will allow misinformation to flourish unchecked.”
The tweet appears to be the final activity on John’s account, which was created in 2010.
Twitter CEO Elon Musk responded to John’s announcement and asked him to elaborate on what lies are being spread on the site.
“I love your music. Hope you come back. Is there any misinformation in particular that you’re concerned about?” Musk asked, but to no response.
Musk has declared his commitment to protecting free speech on Twitter since before he officially took over in October, which has recently materialized in his multi-series “Twitter Files” threads where he exposes alleged censorship at the hands of the platform’s previous leaders.
All my life I’ve tried to use music to bring people together. Yet it saddens me to see how misinformation is now being used to divide our world. I’ve decided to no longer use Twitter, given their recent change in policy which will allow misinformation to flourish unchecked.
— Elton John (@eltonofficial) December 9, 2022
Many critics have claimed Musk is only allowing hate speech to spread under the guise of protecting free speech.
The 75-year-old musician is the latest celebrity to leave Twitter following Musk’s chaotic takeover.
Whoopi Goldberg announced early on in Musk’s tenure as the platform’s head that she would delete her account.
“I’m getting off today because I just feel like it’s so messy, and I’m tired of now having certain kinds of attitudes blocked now getting back on. So I’m gonna get out, and if it settles down enough and I feel more comfortable maybe I’ll come back. But as of tonight, I’m done with Twitter,” she said on a November episode of The View.
Her account is still disabled.
Supermodel GiGi Hadid also quit the app, calling it a “cesspool of hate & bigotry.” Singer Toni Braxton and TV screenwriter Shonda Rhimes each pledged to stop using their accounts in late October, though their pages still exist.
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