Current:Home > FinanceJamie Lee Curtis and Don Lemon quit X, formerly Twitter: 'Time for me to leave' -RiseUp Capital Academy
Jamie Lee Curtis and Don Lemon quit X, formerly Twitter: 'Time for me to leave'
View
Date:2025-04-23 14:14:42
Jamie Lee Curtis and Don Lemon are among the big-name X (formerly Twitter) users leaving the social media site since President-elect Donald Trump announced the platform's owner, Elon Musk, will have a role in his administration.
In a Wednesday Instagram post, "Halloween" actress Curtis shared a screenshot showing her X account's successful deactivation. In her caption, she quoted 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."
USA TODAY has reached out to representatives for Curtis for comment.
Around the same time, former CNN anchor Lemon posted an Instagram Reel and a statement on X detailing his reasons for leaving the Musk-owned platform, with which he's had a contentious relationship. In August, Lemon sued Musk over a scrapped content partnership deal with 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 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.”
Need a break? Play the USA TODAY Daily Crossword Puzzle.
Lemon also pointed to X's new terms of service, which go into effect on Friday and direct all legal disputes to 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.”
UK news outlet The Guardian is also leaving 'toxic' Twitter
On Wednesday morning, the U.K. newspaper The Guardian, which also has offices in the U.S. and Australia, announced plans to stop sharing content with its 27 million followers across more than 80 accounts on 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's announcement reads.
"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 US 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 message concludes: "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."
Musk quickly fired back a response: "They are irrelevant." In a separate post, he wrote, "They are a dying publication."
'America is done'Cardi B, Joe Rogan, Stephen King and more stars react to Trump's win
What is Elon Musk's role in Trump's second presidency?
Last April, NPR left X after its main account was labeled "state-affiliated media," then later "government-funded media." The designation was "falsely implying that we are not editorially independent," the nonprofit news company said in a statement to USA TODAY at the time.
A day later, PBS left the platform under the same circumstances.
Musk, who also owns SpaceX and Tesla, bought the social media site then known as Twitter in 2022 for a reported $44 billion.
On Tuesday, Trump announced Musk, who backed his return to the White House with public appearances and reportedly millions in donations, and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, a former rival for the Republican presidential ticket, as his picks to co-lead a so-called Department of Government Efficiency.
The department would "dismantle government bureaucracy, slash excess regulations, cut wasteful expenditures, and restructure federal agencies," Trump said in a statement. He has not offered further details about how the group would operate and whether it would be a government agency or an advisory board.
veryGood! (18)
Related
- House passes bill to add 66 new federal judgeships, but prospects murky after Biden veto threat
- Democratic Rep. Angie Craig seeks a 4th term in Minnesota’s tightest congressional race
- Baltimore mayor Brandon Scott speaks of 'transformative' impact of sports
- Georgia Democratic prosecutor pursuing election case against Trump faces Republican challenger
- Mets have visions of grandeur, and a dynasty, with Juan Soto as major catalyst
- Colin Allred, Ted Cruz reach end of Senate race that again tests GOP dominance in Texas
- GOP Gov. Jim Justice battles Democrat Glenn Elliott for US Senate seat from West Virginia
- Florida ballot measures would legalize marijuana and protect abortion rights
- Former Danish minister for Greenland discusses Trump's push to acquire island
- These Oprah’s Favorite Things Are Major Sell-Out Risks: Don’t Miss Your Chance!
Ranking
- Louvre will undergo expansion and restoration project, Macron says
- Toss-up congressional races in liberal California could determine House control
- 4 Democratic US House members face challengers in Massachusetts
- Rudy Giuliani ordered to appear in court after missing deadline to turn over assets
- EU countries double down on a halt to Syrian asylum claims but will not yet send people back
- Clemson coach Dabo Swinney challenged at poll when out to vote in election
- Republican Mike Kehoe faces Democrat Crystal Quade for Missouri governor
- Easily find friends this Halloween. Here's how to share your location: Video tutorial.
Recommendation
What to watch: O Jolie night
GOP Rep. Andy Ogles faces a Tennessee reelection test as the FBI probes his campaign finances
Fantasy football waiver wire: 10 players to add for NFL Week 10
Prince William Reveals the Question His Kids Ask Him the Most During Trip to South Africa
Tarte Shape Tape Concealer Sells Once Every 4 Seconds: Get 50% Off Before It's Gone
McBride and Whalen’s US House race sets the stage for a potentially historic outcome
A pivotal Nevada Senate race is unusually quiet for the battleground state
South Dakota is deciding whether to protect abortion rights and legalize recreational marijuana