Some public figures have decided they don’t want that smoke — the kind of newfound scrutiny that can come with owning a Tesla.
As a result, a mix of celebrities, podcasters, and lawmakers have decided to ditch the controversial car brand.
Some made the decision after Elon Musk endorsed Donald Trump over the summer and donated to a PAC working to get him reelected. Others have done so more recently amid growing Tesla Takedown protests aimed at Musk’s involvement in politics through his DOGE efforts to downsize the federal government.
Here are some of the bigger names who have spoken out about getting rid of their Tesla.
Bette Midler
Veteran actress Bette Midler has sold her Tesla, she said in April.
“What a joyful day! I sold my (gulp) Tesla! No longer do I have to drive a symbol of racism, greed and ignorance! Life is suddenly so much better!!” she wrote in a recent Instagram post.
Midler has starred in Broadway shows like “Fiddler on the Roof” and “Hello, Dolly!” as well as films like “Hocus Pocus” and “The Rose.” She is also an outspoken liberal activist and has been critical of Musk and his role in Trump’s administration.
Jason Bateman
The actor told vice presidential candidate Tim Walz in October that he had ditched his Tesla.
“I feel like I’m driving around [with] a Trump sticker with that car, so it’s gone,” he said on an episode of his hit podcast “Smartless.”
“I’m so excited that every car brand now has an electric car,” Bateman added.
Bateman appeared in a Hyundai ad for the carmaker’s Ioniq 5 electric vehicle in 2022.
Sheryl Crow
The singer posted a video on Instagram in February showing her waving goodbye to her Tesla as it was towed away.
“My parents always said… you are who you hang out with,” she wrote in the caption. “There comes a time when you have to decide who you are willing to align with. So long Tesla.”
Crow said she donated the money from the sale of her Tesla to NPR, which Musk has criticized and called to defund. NPR says it receives less than 1% of its funding directly from the federal government.
Joanne Wilson
Angel investor Joanne Wilson told Business Insider that she and her venture capitalist husband, Fred Wilson, sold their Tesla in protest of Musk’s actions at DOGE.
She wrote a blog post about their decision this week.
“Was it Elon’s complete disregard for human beings as he attempts to completely disrupt the federal government like a classic tech dude without a proper understanding of how government works, or was it that awful new cyber truck that looks like something out of Mad Max and looks angry?” she wrote. “It is a toss-up.”
Zach Sang
Radio personality and podcaster Zach Sang, who has hosted high-profile guests like Ariana Grande and Julia Fox, said it’s been challenging to get rid of his Tesla, though he’s doing so.
“People don’t like that I drive a Tesla, and I don’t like it either because the guy’s not a great guy,” he said.
Sen. Mark Kelly
The Arizona Democrat posted a video in March marking his “last trip” driving his Tesla. He wrote in the caption that he’d bought it because it was “fast like a rocket ship” but that driving it had come to “feel like a rolling billboard for a man dismantling our government and hurting people.”
“I think it’s time to get rid of it,” he said in the video, using an expletive to refer to Musk and saying he didn’t want to drive a car designed by such a person.
He’d told reporters prior that he was “looking into” selling his Tesla, though he noted “there’s things I like about it.”
“It’s kind of cheaply built on the inside, but I love the performance,” he said at the time.
His remarks came amid his recent dust-up with Musk, who called the senator a “traitor” for visiting Ukraine.
Kelly responded: “Traitor? Elon, if you don’t understand that defending freedom is a basic tenet of what makes America great and keeps us safe, maybe you should leave it to those of us who do.”
Later asked in Washington about their kerfuffle, Kelly said of Musk, “Obviously, he’s not a serious guy.”
Trump, on the other hand, recently bought two.
Tesla recently got at least one prominent buyer: Trump.
The President has said he’ll label attacks against Tesla dealerships domestic terrorism and that he plans to buy a Tesla Model S and a Cybertruck to support Musk. In a photo op outside the White House, he got inside a Model S and sounded impressed by its interior, saying, “Everything’s computer!”
Tesla’s stock plummeted more than 50% from its December all-time high during a rocky start to the year, but it rose following Trump saying he’d purchase a new Tesla.
The post The list of public figures who ditched their Teslas over Elon Musk, from Jason Bateman to Sheryl Crow appeared first on Business Insider.
