10 Celebrities Who’ve Been Banned From Twitter
Social media used to be fun until the flood of Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, and Twitter bans. Top accounts people flock to daily are being suspended and deleted. Platforms let people control what others can see on their platform, acting as an editor for the masses. Social media sites used to believe in freedom of speech and let people post whatever they wanted without fearing repercussions. Many celebrities and everyday people like you and me face censorship.
1. Donald Trump
On January 8, 2021, Twitter added Donald Trump to the platform’s permanent suspension list. The social media giant claims that the former president’s tweets incited violence. Twitter also cited tweets that violate their rules for promoting violence. The decision came after the platform included a disclaimer on Trump’s tweets to promote false information about the election.
The irony is that Twitter announced back in 2018 that it would not block the accounts of world leaders even if their statements are “controversial,” citing a need to promote a “public conversation” on political issues. The announcement came just days after a tweet from President Donald Trump hinting at the use of nuclear weapons, which sparked criticism that the social network was allowing threats of violence.
We now know that they lied.
2. Laura Loomer
Activist Laura Loomer lost over 260k followers when she became another number on the list of Twitter bans in 2018. Why did the social media site de-platform the Conservative influencer? She was critical of Representative Ilhan Omar. In response to her removal from Twitter, Loomer explained,
“Everything I said is 100 percent true and factual. It’s not malicious, it’s not mean, it’s not hateful.”
With a platform that respects freedom of speech, influencers like Loomer are safe to criticize a politician as long as it’s not threatening violence.
3. Roger Stone
Conservative political strategist Roger Stone is silent on Twitter following a ban in October 2017, which he and his fans consider censorship by the popular social media platform. What were Stone’s violations? According to the New York Times, two tweets put his account on the chopping block:
“He said Don Lemon, the host of “CNN Tonight,” “must be confronted, humiliated, mocked and punished,” adding that he was a “buffoon.”
He said Bill Kristol, a conservative pundit and a former columnist for The New York Times, was “packing on the pounds” and used the hashtag #porky.”
These aren’t violent tweets. There’s a fine line between censorship and protecting the feelings of grown adults that are also public figures like Lemon and Kristol. Breakout never de-platforms users for mean posts.
4. James O’Keefe/Project Veritas
In February 2017, Project Veritas released a video depicting alleged liberal bias at The Washington Post with interviews with two reporters. Later, in 2020, he posted videos involving Pennsylvania postal workers admitting to changing dates on ballot postmarks. The employees in the recording later took back their statements. In April 2021, James O’Keefe became another victim of Twitter bans. The platform claims the organization’s founder was manipulating multiple accounts. However, he believes it’s over his videos and is suing the social media giant.
5. Owen Benjamin
Comedians beware: Your jokes can lead to Twitter bans. Saranac Lake, NY, resident funny man Owen Benjamin, found this out the hard way in April 2018 when he made fun of Parkland shooting survivor David Hogg.
Benjamin told the Adirondack Daily Enterprise,
“As a comedian, I feel I get to say the hyperbole and the ironies and the satires that a lot of academics and politicians aren’t allowed to say, and I’ve always enjoyed that position of mocking power.”
However, that came back to bite him when he made a sensitive but non-violent comment about the anti-gun activist.
6. Azealia Banks
Controversial rapper Azealia Banks had her account suspended permanently by Twitter for transphobic tweets. She posted,
“Who f—king cares. You hoes want free healthcare to pay for breast implants under the guise of body dysmorphia, but a cisgender woman can’t make the argument that she’s uncomfortable with the size of her breasts/face and ALSO get free luxury plastic surgery procedures?”
Like Laura Loomer, what she said wasn’t nice. But it wasn’t violent or a threat. Despite this, she’s another victim of social media censorship.
7. Mike Lindell
Mike Lindell, the MyPillow guy, has made many headlines over the past few years. The most recent is his ban on Twitter in February 2021. Whether or not you love him, his words have hurt no one. If he were a man on a street corner yelling, he’d be left alone. But they didn’t leave it there. Similar to how James O’Keefe of Project Veritas lost both his accounts, the Twitter ban also applied to the MyPillow corporate page.
The social media platform’s reason for suspending the accounts permanently?
“You may not use Twitter’s services for the purpose of manipulating or interfering in elections or other civic processes.”
For the MyPillow profile, a spokesperson told Forbes the ban was for using another account to bypass platform restrictions. What did the MyPillow handle post?
“Jack Dorsey is trying to cancel me (Mike Lindell) out!” and that “Jack will be found out and should be put in prison when all is revealed!.”
Some suggest this censorship might be personal about the former social media platform’s CEO. Who oversees the CEOs and other executives at the top, if that’s the case?
8. David Icke
It’s not just Americans facing Twitter bans. A former professional footballer in the UK, David Icke, found himself on the censorship list from social media for violating COVID information. The site only blocks COVID misinformation, not general. The rules also changed to include Tweets that have the potential to cause harm, which is vague. Social media must stop moving the goal post if it wants to keep users.
9. Katie Hopkins
Another English media personality, Katie Hopkins, was permanently banned from the social media site in June 2020. Like David Icke, the platform cited COVID misinformation and “violations of our hateful conduct policy.” There’s no sign of the specific tweet leading to Twitter censorship. She had over 1.1 million followers before the platform deleted her account.
10. General Michael Flynn
Not even a former U.S. Army general is safe from Twitter bans. The social media giant began purging QAnon supporters in early January. At the top of the list was General Michael Flynn, a retired general and former National Security Advisor under Donald Trump.
Why was Flynn de-platformed by Twitter?
“Given the renewed potential for violence surrounding this type of behavior in the coming days, we will permanently suspend accounts that are solely dedicated to sharing QAnon content.”
They didn’t give Flynn the benefit of the doubt. His Twitter ban was for what he “might say.” Some might consider this targeting by social media and, of course, censorship.
Twitter has been on a banning spree. The popular platform says it won’t tolerate violence and threats to society, but there’s a clear bias. Breakout won’t censor free speech or de-platform users unless violent threats are made against others. Adults should be to chat without censorship on social media. What Twitter is doing is wrong, and it’s time people had a site to use without the threat of being silenced.
Of the celebrities who’ve been banned from Twitter, only one has gone on to do something about it: Donald Trump.
In October of 2021, Trump made his move.
Some predicted the move since he left office, but former President Donald Trump is finally launching his own media network. The new business, called Trump Media & Technology Group (TMTG), will include a social media platform called “TRUTH Social,” as well as a subscription video-on-demand service (TMTG+) that features “non-woke” entertainment programming, news and podcasts.
