Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Gigi Hadid deactivates her Twitter page after Elon Musk takeover: ‘A cesspool of hate and bigotry’

“I can’t say it’s a safe place for anyone, nor a social platform that will do more good than harm,” the model wrote on Instagram

Jenna Amatulli
Tuesday 08 November 2022 07:13 EST
Comments
Gigi Hadid is quitting Twitter

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Gigi Hadid has deactivated her Twitter account and slammed the social media platform as “a cesspool of hate and bigotry” in an impassioned post.

The supermodel shared her thoughts about Twitter on her Instagram Story on Saturday. Her post comes amid the company going through many shake-ups since Tesla founder and billionaire Elon Musk took it over in recent weeks.

“I deactivated my Twitter account today. For a long time, but especially with its new leadership, it’s becoming more and more a cesspool of hate and bigotry, and it’s not a place I want to be a part of,” she wrote.

The mom of one added that she was “only sorry to the fans” who she’s loved “connecting with” over the years.

“I can’t say it’s a safe place for anyone, nor a social platform that will do more good than harm,” she concluded.

(Instagram)

Ms Hadid joins a host of other celebrities who have left the platform in response to Mr Musk’s takeover. Brian Koppelman, Shonda Rhimes, Sara Bareilles, Toni Braxton, and more have all announced their departure from Twitter in recent days.

Mr Musk’s new vision for Twitter, which he purchased in a $44bn deal that closed at the end of October, has included mass layoffs, restructuring how the platform doles out verification badges and pivoting to a subscription-based model.

In response to cutting thousands of jobs, the richest man in the world has defended his decision by saying “unfortunately, there is no choice.”

“Regarding Twitter’s reduction in force, unfortunately there is no choice when the company is losing over $4m (£3.5m) a day,” he told the world via tweet. “Everyone exited was offered three months of severance, which is 50 per cent more than legally required.”

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in