Ian McKellen, David Mitchell and more call out ‘madness’ as ‘blue ticks’ reinstated days after removal

Ian McKellen, David Mitchell, and Neil Gaiman are among the celebrities to have had their “blue ticks” reinstated on Twitter.

It has only been days since stars including Ricky Gervais and Richard Osman were reacting to having their Twitter “blue ticks” removed and already many of them have had the verification badge restored.

Earlier this week, Twitter CEO Elon Musk finally removed the “legacy verified” marks on celebrity accounts. Even high-profile artists such as Beyoncé had their ticks revoked.

Users now have to pay a monthly fee in order to be “verified” on the social media platform.

Days later, on Sunday (23 April), many celebrities were confused to see that their ticks had, in fact, been reinstated.

Many rushed to Twitter to clarify that they had not paid for the blue tick.

“My Blue Tick has reappeared,” wrote Gervais, who initially mocked the move. “I can only assume this is a gift for all the bath pics over the years.”

Peep Show star David Mitchell wrote: “They said the blue ticks were going to disappear, but mine hasn’t. It’s mind games. For the avoidance of doubt, I didn’t pay for it – so I’m still the product, not the customer.”

Ian McKellen also had his tick restored. The Lord of the Rings star clarified his situation, writing: “Despite the implication when you click the blue badge that has mysteriously re-appeared beside my name, I am not paying for the ‘honour’.”

Rylan Clark appeared puzzled by the sudden switch-up, adding: “Hold up. Why is my blue tick back? I’m ill and this is pranging me out.”

The Sandman writer Neil Gaiman responded to a fan who asked if he had paid for the verification badge.

“No, I didn’t pay,” wrote Gaiman. Earlier, he wrote: “I woke up to find I’m now blue ticked again. I haven’t paid for Twitter or given anyone my phone number.

“Mr Musk, if you’re paying for people who don’t want blue ticks to have them. Stephen King’s suggestion that you donate the money to charity is excellent. To refugees, perhaps?”

The horror legend was one of the first to have their tick reinstated. Stephen King wrote on Twitter on 20 April: “My Twitter account says I’ve subscribed to Twitter Blue. I haven’t. My Twitter account says I’ve given a phone number. I haven’t.”

On 22 April, King added: “I think Mr Musk should give my blue check to charity.”

He went on to recommend that Musk donate the funds to the Prytula Foundation, which “provides lifesaving services in Ukraine”.

“It’s only $8, so perhaps Mr Musk could add a bit more.”

Seinfeld star Jason Alexander also spoke out on the blue tick debacle, writing on 21 April that his verification had been removed and that he would no longer be posting on the application.

On Sunday, Alexander voiced his confusion that it had been reinstated, writing: “I’ve paid nothing. I gave no number. Stephen King reported the same.

“My account remains so no one steals the account name. And I can tell you this madness hasn’t happened on Insta or Spoutible.”

Dara Ó Briain, Andy Murray, and Osman are among the stars also to speak out on the situation.

The reinstatement of these blue ticks comes after 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.

Critics of the decision to remove “blue ticks” have argued that it will be far easier for misinformation to spread with users less able to identify whether or not a celebrity account is legitimate.