Elon Musk trolls unhappy celebrity Twitter users by paying for their verified accounts
Elon Musk has confirmed he's 'paying personally' so a number of high-profile Twitter users can keep their verified status - but he's only covering the costs for three celebrities who vowed not to subscribe to keep their blue ticks
Elon Musk is "paying personally" so a number of high-profile Twitter users can keep their verified status.
New rules have been coming into force on the social media site since tech billionaire Musk took over the social media service - with high profile figures and companies being asked to pay a subscription fee to retain their blue ticks - but many have insisted they no intention of handing over any cash to stay verified.
However, it has since emerged that Musk has decided to fund some stars' subscriptions including horror writer Stephen King who previously insisted he would not sign up and was later left baffled when his account was updated to state he had subscribed to the service.
King wrote in a post on Twitter: "My Twitter account says I’ve subscribed to Twitter Blue. I haven’t. My Twitter account says I’ve given a phone number. I haven’t."
Musk then replied to him suggesting he had covered the cost himself, adding: "You’re welcome namaste."
'Star Trek' veteran William Shatner and basketball player LeBron James also previously insisted they wouldn't pay for the blue ticks but they have also had the service covered by Musk himself.
The business mogul confirmed what he had been up to when he responded to a tweet which suggested some stars had been getting their ticks for free - with the Twitter boss confirming he has paid for them out of his own pocket.
He wrote: "I’m paying for a few personally ... Just Shatner, LeBron and King."
Other stars who have had their blue ticks removed because they decided against paying have since reacted to their change in status, with singer Ciara tweeting: "Blue check or no check … I know my fans still checkin."
The Game - who also lost his verified status - also wrote: "Check gone but the checks still coming."
'Wonder Woman' star Lynda Carter also weighed in on the controversy by sharing a gif showing her superhero character preparing to fight an imposter and tweeting: "No blue checkmark? Okay, we'll settle this the old-fashioned way."
Reports suggest there has been a low take-up of the verification subscription service with Mashable that fewer than five per cent of previously verified accounts have retained their blue tick.
