Twitter’s infamous blue tick has reappeared on high-profile and celebrity accounts after disappearing for days.
ex-footballer Gary Neville, tennis player Sir Andy Murrayactor Sir Ian McLean and comedians Ricky Gervais was one of those who got their ticks back, despite denying they’d paid for it.
it appears in Twitter Tens of thousands of accounts with “legacy” verification flags removed following owner’s announced policy Elon Musk after him A $44bn (£38bn) acquisition last October.
he said people Must sign up for Twitter Blue (costs up to £11 per month)to keep their blue check marks, but many reappeared anyway.
Sir Ian tweeted: “Despite the implication when you click on the blue badge that has mysteriously reappeared next to my name, I won’t pay for ‘honour’.”
Sir Andy posted: “My blue tick reappeared. Free… some games.”
Gervais joked that the return of his blue tick must have been “a gift from all the bathing pictures over the years”, while Neville denied he paid for it, saying “it did reappear”.
The Pope, author JK Rowling, footballer Cristiano Ronaldo, American rapper Jay-Z and the Conservative and Labor parties will all is one of the affected accounts.
Musk reveals he’s paying some famous people to stay verified, while others appear to have Pay for the subscription yourself.
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Reports indicate that ticking has now recovered to accounts with one million or more followers.
The apparent U-turn came as #BlockTheBlueChecks sparked a Twitter backlash, while some celebrities dropped their profiles entirely, including “The Last of Us” star Bella Ramsey.
Meanwhile, previously unverified comedian Dara O Briain, who has 2.6 million followers, also unexpectedly received the coveted badge.
O Briain tweeted: “So, despite never actually having a blue tick, (I like the idea that I might have been a parody account all along) I woke up this morning to find I got one.
“It’s weird. No, I didn’t pay and I didn’t ask. Can I get into the nightclub now?”
“Black Mirror” creator Charlie Brooker, who has 1.2 million followers, seemed outraged by his validation, as he apparently found a way to get rid of ticks.
In a spoof tweet parodying the famous UK cleaning advert, he said: “Hi I’m Barry Scott. Blue tick again?
“Change your name, then change it back. Boom! The market is gone.”
The latest U-turn comes after Musk’s embarrassing incident last year when he first introduced a paid blue check mark, which flooded Twitter with accounts Impersonating Celebrity Brands and Politicians.