Kathy Griffin has been permanently banned from Twitter, after she impersonated the company’s new owner Elon Musk.
The comedian’s account was suspended after she impersonated Twitter’s new CEO by changing her profile photo to his photo and changing her name to “Elon Musk”.
Explaining the reason behind her ban, Musk tweeted: “Going forward, any Twitter handles engaging in impersonation without clearly specifying ‘parody’ will be permanently suspended.”
“Previously, we issued a warning before suspension, but now that we are rolling out widespread verification, there will be no warning.”
“This will be clearly identified as a condition for signing up to Twitter Blue,” he continued. “Any name change at all will cause temporary loss of verified checkmark.”
The 51-year-old also insisted banning accounts for impersonation does not go against his views on free speech.
“My commitment to free speech extends even to not banning the account following my plane, even though that is a direct personal safety risk,” he tweeted.
Kathy was one of many Twitter users who impersonated Musk over the weekend, in a bid to point out potential flaws in his plans for a revised verification system.
Twitter’s new CEO recently revealed their plans to roll out an $8 subscription plan, which will allow users to pay for a blue check mark on their profiles.
The option was previously only available to verified public figures, including celebrities and politicians, and didn’t cost anything.
Musk’s subscription plan faced widespread backlash, and the company has now decided to delay the rollout until after the midterm elections in the US.Â
