Twitter has been going through some significant changes as of late, thanks to some polarizing decisions made by CEO Elon Musk. The most heavily discussed initiative as of late has been Twitter Blue, which requires users to pay $8 per month for the highly coveted blue check. A number of public figures, including major celebrities, were vocal about not planning to pay the fee but, in a surprise move, some of their checks returned. This is because Musk is personally footing the bill for a select number of stars. While some have criticized the tech magnate for this move and the service overall, Charlie Sheen is singing a different tune.
One of the most high-profile stars to take issue with the subscription-based service and his restored check is Stephen King, whose viral brouhaha with Elon Musk made headlines. King has since said that Musk should give his blue check to a charity. Aside from this situation, even Universal Studios poked fun at Musk when he announced plans to charge for verification. All the while, Charlie Sheen has gotten in on the discussion as well. The typically outspoken actor didn’t really chastise Musk when learning that his check would be taken away, though. Instead, he actually tried to implore him to let him keep his social media distinction. You can check out his appeal in the following Twitter post:
dear @elonmusk i’m sorry your fancy rocketexploded in spectacular fashion. I’m certain you’ll build an even bigger and more explody one.now, may i please have my blue check back?it would mean a lot to me.thank you in advance,sincerely - c sheenApril 22, 2023
While it’s sometimes hard to gather tone from a social media post, that message actually seemed pretty sincere. And not only that, but it seems to have worked, as you can see. The Two and a Half Men alum now has his check back and, once it was returned, he went back to the platform to comment. If you look at the update below, you may get the impression that the 57-year-old actor is pleased as punch with how things worked out:
oh my! it’s like Xmas and my birthday all at once!@elonmusk i’m flushedwith gratitude. Rock Star move, good sir. ©️ pic.twitter.com/EnEMByuG8JApril 22, 2023
Well, I suppose the Tesla exec can chalk up that little piece of praise as a slight victory. Though some have critiqued him, it makes sense that someone like the Anger Management star would be happy with his aim to cover the costs of some checks. A check, after all, does help to verify a person’s identity on social media and can also help establish organizations as legitimate sources of information. As the star praises Twitter’s leader, there’s still an interesting pattern to make note of in this situation.
Charlie Sheen, Stephen King, LeBron James and William Shatner spoke out on Elon Musk’s decision to take away checks for those who didn’t subscribe. And interestingly enough, they’re among the stars to have received theirs. It can’t be said with certainty that Musk chose to cover these individuals based on their comments, yet it’s an interesting coincidence nonetheless.
Elsewhere on the platform, other stars seem content without their badges, with celebrated Olympian Simone Biles joking about starting a new trend. Meanwhile, Wonder Woman icon Lynda Carter shared a funny joke about the controversy. Others, however, have opted to get rid of their accounts in the time since the new CEO stepped in. One such person to hit “delete” is Amber Heard, who used to date the billionaire.
This latest message from Charlie Sheen, who’s preparing to return to TV, has me thinking that he won’t be leaving the platform anytime soon. I’m interested in seeing whether he’ll continue to be one of those people singing Elon Musk’s praises, as he continues to make changes to Twitter.
