Kathy Griffin snuck back to Twitter after being recently suspended for impersonating Elon Musk – and used her dead mother’s account to vent her anger at the platform’s new CEO.
Griffin, 62, lashed out at Musk on Sunday night from her late mother’s account, calling him an “a-hole” for joking that she “got banned for posing as a comedian.”
The comedian had been suspended for challenging Twitter’s new policy against impersonation by changing her profile name to “Elon Musk” without making it clear that the account was a spoof.
The new policy was introduced by Musk after some celebrities changed their Twitter display names — not their account names — and tweeted as “Elon Musk” in response to the billionaire’s decision to offer verified accounts for $8 a month.
Kathy Griffin, 62, was suspended from Twitter for challenging a new anti-impersonation policy by changing her name to “Elon Musk” without making it clear it was a parody – but then used the account her late mother Maggie Griffin (pictured) to rant about Musk
Elon Musk confirmed Griffin’s account suspension with a tweet in which he joked that she was posing as a comedian
In response, Griffin lashed out at Musk on Sunday night from her late mother’s account, calling him an “a-hole” for joking that she “got banned for posing as a comedian.”
Elon Musk tweeted Sunday that Twitter will permanently ban any account impersonating someone else on the social media platform. Twitter then suspended Griffin
Griffin had her account suspended on Sunday for changing her username to Musk.
Musk then confirmed the suspension with a tweet in which he joked that she was pretending to be a comedian.
“Actually, she was suspended for posing as a comedian,” he wrote in response to someone who shared the news on the platform.
“But if she really wants her account back, she can have it…for $8,” he said in two tweets, referring to his new monthly fee for users who want the blue tick to verify their account.
But Griffin wasn’t amused and quickly blasted back with a series of angry replies on Twitter, this time from the account of her mother, Maggie Griffin, who died in March 2020 at the age of 99.
“I mean… you stole that joke, you jerk. People have been posting this joke for hours you hacker,” she wrote.
“Listen, please run this company better. It used to mean something. That’s KG, by the way.’
Griffin continued to tweet well into Monday through her mother’s account, which she previously used during a 2019 suspension. She tweeted that her mother would be okay with it.
“My wonderful mother had an account that I kept for her,” she wrote. “She died, but I always kept the account. Trust me, she would be with me on this one. Relax,” she wrote — and throw in another #FreeKathy.”
Griffin’s most recent tweet late Monday morning was written coming from beyond the grave and straight to Musk.
Griffin continued to tweet well into Monday through her mother’s account, which she previously used during a 2019 suspension
Griffin used the #FreeKathy hashtag on many of her tweets, some of which backfired as many users responded with the hashtag #pleasefreeusfromKathy
“Elon, this is Maggie contacting you from the spirit world, tell yourself… you’re an idiot. This is not a parody. This is the actual ghost of Kathy Griffin’s wine loving mom who says I’ll get tipsy and throw my bingo cards at you! NOT A PARODY.’
It ended with, “To the moon, a **hole. #FreeKathy’
Griffin used the #FreeKathy hashtag on many of her tweets, some of which backfired as many users responded with the hashtag #pleasefreeusfromKathy.
Since taking over her late mother’s Twitter account, Griffin has also tweeted a number of conspiracies about why she was suspended.
“I honestly think that’s because I am and because the tweets I tried to write in his voice were pro Democrat and had hashtags like #VoteBlueToProtectWomen and #voteblue and pro Beto O’Rourke,” she wrote .
She also agreed to a suggestion from another user, who wrote because “the suspension of a female comedian does [Musk] Feel like an important big man.
‘You’ve hit the nail on the head. That’s really what it’s about,” Griffin replied in a tweet.
Griffin had her account suspended on Sunday for changing her username to Musk
Continuing the Twitter thread, Musk wrote that she could have her account back — for $8
Griffin has continued to Tweet about her mother’s account, but risks having it banned as well due to Twitter’s “ban evasion policy,” which states: “Twitter reserves the right to also permanently ban any other account that we believe that it is the same account holder or entity violating our previous ban, regardless of when the other account was created.’
Over the weekend, Twitter said it would allow anyone to get a verified blue badge on the platform simply by signing up for the Twitter Blue subscription service and paying a monthly fee, a move criticized by some over fears it would do so each account could appear legitimate and easily spread abuse or misinformation.
The verified $8 accounts are Musk’s way of democratizing the service, he claims.
“Going forward, any Twitter engaging in impersonation without clearly specifying ‘parody’ will be permanently suspended,” Musk wrote Sunday.
While Twitter had previously warned of suspensions, now that it’s instituting “widespread scrutiny,” there will be no warning.
In fact, “any name change whatsoever” would force the temporary loss of a verified tick, the world’s richest man said.
Kathy Griffith blasted Musk via her Twitter accounts, which she changed to show his name
One of numerous verified Twitter users who changed their name to Elon Musk and posted ridiculous tweets
On Saturday, a Twitter update for iOS devices listed in Apple’s App Store said users who sign up “now” for the new “Twitter Blue with verification” can get the blue tick next to their name, ” just like the celebrities, corporations and politicians already follow you.’
It said the service would initially be available in the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the UK. However, it wasn’t available on Sunday and there was no indication of when it would go live. A Twitter employee, Esther Crawford, told The Associated Press that it’s “coming soon but hasn’t started yet”.
Some Twitter users have already begun migrating from the platform — to alternatives like Mastodon and Counter Social — following layoffs that began Friday and reportedly affected about half of Twitter’s 7,500 employees.
Twitter said it would allow anyone to get a verified blue badge simply by signing up for the Twitter Blue subscription service and paying a monthly fee, a move criticized by some
They fear that a breakdown in moderation and verification could lead to widespread disinformation about the internet, which has historically been the primary channel for reliable communication from government and other institutions.
Many companies have paused advertising on the platform over concerns that it could become more recalcitrant under Musk.
Yoel Roth, Twitter’s head of security and integrity, attempted to allay such concerns in a tweet on Friday. He said the company’s frontline content moderation staff are the group least affected by the job cuts.
Musk tweeted late Friday that there was no choice but to cut jobs “if the company loses over $4 million a day.”
He didn’t provide details on Twitter’s daily losses and said employees who lost their jobs were offered three months’ salary as severance pay.