Jack Black is on the fence about whether to pay to keep his blue checkmark on Twitter.
“I don’t know if I’m going to pay for it,” Black told Variety on the red carpet for The Super Mario Bros. Movie premiere on Saturday in Los Angeles.
“I’m a little embarrassed by the blue check to be honest with you. Maybe it’s cooler not to have checks. It’s definitely not cool to pay for it. I’m gonna see what happens if I don’t pay for it. I’m gonna call his bluff, see if he really takes my check away,” the actor, who voices Bowser in the movie, added.
Twitter announced that it would begin “winding down” blue check marks for legacy accounts on April 1 — meaning that celebrities, journalists, and other public figures and business accounts that don’t pay $8 a month for Twitter Blue would be stripped of their checkmarks unless they pay up. Verified checkmarks were free and handed out selectively prior to Musk’s takeover of Twitter.
Also Read: Elon Musk’s Crash Course Director Does a Deep Dive Into Tesla’s Self-Driving Cars
Does Jack Black still have his checkmark?
A few days have passed since April 1, and most legacy account holders — including Jack Black — still have their checkmarks. That is, except for The New York Times‘ main account, which had its checkmark revoked after Musk responded to a tweet about the outlet telling CNN that it wouldn’t pay to keep its verified symbol.
“Oh ok, we’ll take it off then,” Musk tweeted.
Other outlets that also vowed not to pay for verification, including The Los Angeles Times and The Washington Post, still have their checkmarks as of Monday, April 3 — the day that Twitter also changed its logo to the Doge meme of a Shiba Inu dog.
William Shatner also spoke out against checkmark-gate, tweeting on March 25, “What’s this about blue checks going away unless we pay Twitter? I’ve been here for 15 years giving my [clock emoji] & witty thoughts all for bupkis,” he wrote. “Now you’re telling me that I have to pay for something you gave me for free? What is this-the Colombia Records & Tape Club?”
Musk responded, “It’s more about treating everyone equally. There shouldn’t be a different standard for celebrities IMO.”
Shatner also still has his checkmark as of Monday.
Will Twitter continue removing legacy checkmarks, or will Musk allow Black, Shatner, and the thousands of other legacy verified users to keep their little blue friends? Only time — and however Musk is feeling — will tell.
Main Image: NEW YORK – NOVEMBER 26: Actor Jack Black attends the IFP’s 22nd Annual Gotham Independent Film Awards at Cipriani Wall Street on November 26, 2012 in New York City. Courtesy of Shutterstock.
Share:
