‘I’m done with Twitter’: Whoopi Goldberg quits ‘messy’ platform over Elon Musk takeover

‘Some speech is not OK free speech,’ talk show host argued

Whoopi Goldberg has become the latest celebrity to abandon Twitter after Elon Musk’s takeover.

Musk’s tenure of the social media platform has been mired in controversy as the billionaire Tesla founder announced the introduction of an $8 monthly fee for those who wanted a “blue tick” verification badge.

On Monday’s (7 November) episode of her show The View, Goldberg said Twitter had become a “mess” since Musk took the helm.

“It’s been a little over a week since Elon Musk took over Twitter and this place is a mess,” she said.

“I’m getting off today because I just feel like it’s so messy, and I’m tired of now having certain kinds of attitudes blocked now getting back on. So I’m gonna get out, and if it settles down enough and I feel more comfortable maybe I’ll come back. But as of tonight, I’m done with Twitter.”

“People keep saying it’s free speech, but all speech is not free speech,” Goldberg added.

“Some speech is not OK free speech. So everybody has to agree on that, but if people keep saying ‘You hurt my free speech’ it’s going to be a problem. You know what? This is our problem. But it ain’t my problem today because I’m out.”

The outspoken talk show host cited Musk’s firing and reported rehiring of Twitter staff and the barring of comedian Kathy Griffin’s account as other reasons behind her decision to quit the platform.

Griffin was kicked off the social media site for using her profile to impersonate Musk. She has since returned via her dead mother’s account.

Goldberg joins celebrities such as Gigi Hadid, who yesterday announced she was deactivating her account as the platform had become “a cesspool of hate and bigotry”.

Brian Koppelman, Shonda Rhimes, Sara Bareilles, Toni Braxton, and more have all announced their departure from Twitter in recent days.