Elon Musk paid the Twitter Blue fee for celebrities like LeBron James and Stephen King

Elon Musk paid three celebrities, William Shatner Stephen King and LeBron to maintain their Twitter verification.

What do three celebrities have in common: an actor, a novelist and perhaps the greatest basketball player ever? All three publicly stated that they would not be paying for Twitter Blue.

Musk has been at odds with King for years over how Musk has changed Twitter. Elon Musk responded to William Shatner's recent complaint about the new policy of verification with a Tweet that stated, "It is more about treating everyone equal." It shouldn't be different for celebrities.

Stephen King called it out publicly as a falsehood. Now, all three Twitter accounts state that their users have subscribed to Twitter Blue, and that they have verified their identity by phone number. Musk replied to King by confirming that the fee had been paid and saying "You're welcomed namaste."

King's tweet reflected a feeling of embarrassment. The author was concerned that his followers would think he paid $8 for the blue checkmark. The newfound association between the blue checkmark and the once-coveted blue checkmark is a common sentiment among former verified tweeters after Musk's takeover.

Musk has somehow turned Twitter's verification tool, which was once a helpful way to cut through the trolls that flood social media, into something to be ashamed about.

While some celebrities, such as Taylor Swift, Rihanna and Dwayne Wade, have paid for Twitter blue, the vast majority has not. Less than 5% (out of 420,000) of previously verified users signed up for Twitter Blue.

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