Full list of celebrities quitting X after Elon Musk helps Trump win

Elon Musk’s social media site, X, formerly Twitter, is facing another mass exodus by A-listers, this time over his involvement in the 2024 presidential campaign.

The tech mogul campaigned for President-elect Donald Trump and even offered financial incentives to people who voted for the Republican candidate. After Trump’s decisive victory in the November election, he named the billionaire founder of Tesla and SpaceX as leader of the newly created “Department of Government Efficiency,” along with entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy.

Following the appointment and the election, a number of celebrities and major brands announced they were departing X.

Jamie Lee Curtis

The Oscar-winning actress shared a screenshot showing her X account had been deactivated to her Instagram account on Wednesday, where she also shared the Serenity Prayer.

“God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change. Courage to change the things I can. And the wisdom to know the difference,” she wrote.

Don Lemon

The news anchor announced his X departure on Instagram and in a statement on X.

“I have loved connecting with all of you on Twitter and then on X for all of these years, but it’s time for me to leave the platform,” Lemon said in the Instagram video known as a Reel. “I once believed it was a place for honest debate and discussion, transparency, and free speech, but I now feel it does not serve that purpose.”

Lemon also flagged X’s new terms of service as another reason for his leaving the site. The changes become active on Friday and state that any legal disputes with X will be “brought exclusively in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas or state courts located in Tarrant County, Texas.”

“As the Washington Post recently reported on X’s decision to change the terms, this ‘ensures that such lawsuits will be heard in courthouses that are a hub for conservatives, which experts say could make it easier for X to shield itself from litigation and punish critics,'” Lemon said. “I think that speaks for itself.”

He then directed people to follow him on other social media platforms including X competitor, Blue Sky, which was launched by Twitter founder Jack Dorsey.

Bette Midler

The Beaches actress’ X account disappeared shortly after Trump won the election.

In some of her final posts on the site she declared Trump “a downright moron” and just before the election results, shared a photo of a bottle of champagne with a sticky note on it that read “If Kamala wins,” and a bottle of Drano drain cleaner with a note that read “If Trump wins,” per The Telegraph.

The Guardian

News outlet The Guardian, which is mainly based in the U.K., but also has an outlet in Australia, said it would be leaving X.

“We think that the benefits of being on X are now outweighed by the negatives and that resources could be better used promoting our journalism elsewhere,” the outlet said in its parting statement.

The Guardian had multiple accounts on X, with a combined total of 27 million followers per USA Today.

“This is something we have been considering for a while given the often disturbing content promoted or found on the platform, including far-right conspiracy theories and racism. The U.S. presidential election campaign served only to underline what we have considered for a long time: that X is a toxic media platform and that its owner, Elon Musk, has been able to use its influence to shape political discourse,” the statement continued.

“Thankfully, we can do this because our business model does not rely on viral content tailored to the whims of the social media giants’ algorithms – instead we’re funded directly by our readers.”

Berlin Film Festival

One of the world’s major film festivals will also no longer be posting on X after 15 years on the site.

“The Berlinale has decided to say goodbye to X on Dec 31, 2024. Thank you for following us here all these years. Stay connected with all things Berlinale on Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, and our website. See you there! #Berlinale,” it said in a statement on X.

The mass exodus follows similar moves by celebrities who left the platform after Musk announced his intention to buy it and his eventual acquisition in 2022.

Those at the time included Elton John, Mia Farrow, Whoopi Goldberg, Jim Carrey and The Good Place actress Jameela Jamil, among others.