Twitter has mysteriously de-verified Danny DeVito’s official account, demoting the famed actor from the blue-ticked elites down to mingle with the egg-filled masses. It seems not even a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame can cement a Twitter verification badge.
DeVito’s Twitter verification was unceremoniously removed on Thursday, with worker advocacy group More Perfect Union reporting he’d confirmed his involuntary dethronement to them.
More Perfect Union also implied a belief that a tweet by DeVito on Wednesday may have triggered his de-verification. The actor’s last post before he was hurled down the side of Mt. Olympus expressed support for the Nabisco workers’ strike, calling for “humane working hours, fair pay,” and an end to outsourcing jobs. Hundreds of workers across the U.S. stopped work at the snack food manufacturer this week, demanding parent company Mondelēz withdraw proposed changes to their pay and health care coverage.
It would be out of character for Twitter to de-verify someone based on contentious opinions they may hold. But even if it was just an unfortunately timed coincidence, it certainly doesn’t look good.
Mashable has reached out to Twitter to inquire exactly why DeVito’s wings were clipped, and whether it was indeed related to his tweet in support of Nabisco’s workers. The company stated it is looking into the matter.
Mashable has also reached out to DeVito’s representatives for comment.
Twitter de-verification isn’t an unknown phenomenon, but it’s usually reserved for Australian satire groups impersonating U.S. presidents, or Star Wars actors who had the audacity to just not tweet for six months. Twitter’s Help Center notes that it may remove a verification badge “at any time and without notice,” stating that some reasons for removal include if the account’s name changes, it becomes inactive, or it repeatedly violates Twitter’s rules.
DeVito doesn’t appear to have breached any of these terms, though — so for now the reason his coveted blue tick was stripped remains a mystery.
