Actors say they were locked out of their Twitter accounts after impersonating Elon Musk on the platform

Sarah Silverman, Kathy Griffin, Rich Sommer
Sarah Silverman, Kathy Griffin, Rich Sommer were among the actors who said they were suspended from Twitter. Getty Images
  • Several actors said they were locked out of Twitter accounts after impersonating Elon Musk.
  • They changed their picture and display name to match Musk's, and impersonated him in their tweets.
  • From Rich Sommer to Kathy Griffin, here are the actors who say their accounts were suspended. 
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Multiple actors have said their Twitter accounts were suspended after they changed their names to Elon Musk and impersonated him.

After buying the platform for $44 billion, Musk said that "comedy is now legal on Twitter."

Nine days later, Musk said Twitter would permanently suspend accounts that impersonated another person if the owner failed to clarify their account was a parody.

As a consequence, the following actors and celebrities who tried to impersonate Musk on the site said they had their Twitter accounts locked.

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Sarah Silverman, host of "I Love You, America" and star of "Wreck-It Ralph."

Sarah Silverman attends the 75th Annual Tony Awards at Radio City Music Hall on June 12, 2022 in New York City.
Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images

Silverman on Saturday changed her profile picture and display name to represent Musk's account.

"I am a freedom of speech absolutist and I eat doody for breakfast every day," Silverman tweeted.

The following day, Silverman shared a picture on Twitter that showed Musk's tweet on October 28 about comedy being legal on Twitter, the tweet she posted while impersonating Musk, and a notification on Sunday saying her account had been locked.

"1) 9 days ago, 2) yesterday 3) today. We have fun," Silverman wrote in the caption.

At time of writing on Monday, Silverman's account was still active.

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Rich Sommer, who is famous for his role as Harry Crane in "Mad Men."

Rich Sommer attends the screening and launch party for HBO Max's MINX at The Hollywood Roosevelt on March 08, 2022 in Los Angeles, California.
Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic for HBO Max

Sommer also changed his picture and name on Twitter, replicating Musk's account.

"Okay, time to employ plan b since they're MAKING me keep twitter," Sommer said in a series of tweets while impersonating Musk, Insider previously reported.

Sommer told Insider he had no intention of anyone believing he was actually Musk and although he knew he could be banned for it, he wanted to show that "anyone could say they were anyone."

His account was still suspended as of Monday morning.

 

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Kathy Griffin, who has starred in several comedy specials.

Kathy Griffin attends the Fourth Annual Critics Choice Real TV Awards at Fairmont Century Plaza on June 12, 2022 in Los Angeles, California.
Michael Kovac/Getty Images for the Critics Choice Real TV Awards

Griffin changed her name to "Elon Musk" and copied the billionaire's profile picture.

The comedian and actress also tweeted: "After much spirited discussion with the females in my life, I've decided that voting blue for their choice is only right. (They're also sexy females, btw.) #VoteBlueToProtectWomen."

Her Twitter account was still suspended at time of writing on Monday morning.

On Sunday, a message was posted from an account that appeared to belong to Griffin on the social-media platform Mastodon. It said: "Elon just locked my Twitter acct. I guess not ALL the content moderators were let go?"

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Chris Kluwe, who has starred in "Earthlings Welcome" and is also a former NFL punter.

Former NFL player Chris Kluwe attends the 3rd Annual Celebrity Wheelchair Basketball Game at the John Wooden Center on June 24, 2017 in Los Angeles, California.
Josh Lefkowitz/Getty Images

"There is nothing better than waking up and enjoying a fresh, steaming cup of my own urine," Kluwe tweeted while impersonating Musk. "Such a tangy way to start the day, and it's scientifically proven to help brain cells grow. If you want to be like me, drink your pee."

Kluwe told Insider's Katherine Tangalakis-Lippert he was trying to show how easy it was to impersonate other people with a blue verified checkmark.

His account was still suspended at time of writing on Monday.

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