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Celebrities and Companies Who Left Twitter Since Elon Musk Took Over

Darren January 3, 2024

It’s not a secret that Elon Musk bought Twitter in 2022 and instantly wreaked havoc across the social media platform. The polarizing Tesla CEO made several controversial changes that turned users away. Meanwhile, many celebrities left Twitter because they don’t like him or his ridiculous ideas.

Even more damaging was the loss of many advertisers who saw the network as a giant risk. In this list, we’ve accumulated the most high-profile celebrities and advertisers who left Twitter since Musk bought it. Some returned, but who knows if the site will be around for much longer.

Amber Heard

Heard had a controversial and polarizing 2022 because of her highly-publicized lawsuit against Johnny Depp. The actress joined the ranks of the many who left Twitter after Musk’s takeover. However, her case is interesting because there was no virtue signaling or dramatic announcement.

Her fans noticed that her account had disappeared from the app. This was around the same time that Musk began making dramatic cuts to his workforce. Some fans appreciated this exit because she didn’t seek attention. Instead, she stayed true to her values but didn’t make a big deal out of them (via NME).

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General Motors

General Motors became one of the biggest advertisers to press the Twitter pause button. This came after Musk ripped up the rulebook with his new verification system. They didn’t want to fall prey to the same problems as other businesses. Enterprising trolls made fake accounts and damaged many big corporations.

They said that they left Twitter as standard practice when there is a change in ownership. That’s because they wanted to see how the water settles before swimming again. However, the sheer volume of exits is alarming for Musk because the site depends on advertisers for revenue (via Clean Technica).

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Chipotle

Popular Tex-Mex food chain, Chipotle quit advertising on Twitter because of the uncertain environment. This also meant that most of the platform’s top 100 advertisers no longer used the network in the same way. It was a disaster for Musk because the site is hemorrhaging money.

He took the company private because this makes it easier to hide their finances. Musk also wants to generate revenue from subscriptions rather than depending on advertising. But it’s impossible to change a culture immediately and that’s what caused the chaos (via Orange County Register).

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David Dastmalchian

Dastmalchian was another actor who decided to quit Twitter overnight. He didn’t announce his departure like some of the personalities on this list. That’s why many of the actor’s fans felt confused because he suddenly stopped tweeting. It didn’t take them long to notice because he was a regular user before this (via CBR).

The actor is a familiar face in Denis Villeneuve’s brilliant sci-fi movies. Meanwhile, his distinctive appearance makes him a great fit for comic book films. He had supporting roles in Marvel and D.C. franchises because the studios valued his skills. It’s a shame that he no longer feels that Twitter is a safe space for him.

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Jim Carrey

Carrey is easily one of the most famous of the people who left Twitter already. The Ace Ventura star signed off with a video of his crazy lighthouse painting. Let’s hope that Musk doesn’t love The Mask or The Truman Show. But perhaps he might learn something if he watched Dumb and Dumber.

The actor rose to prominence as one of the great comic actors of the ’90s. Some people consider him a problematic figure because of his attitude toward women. This proves that nobody can escape criticism or attention in this world. No doubt Musk will mention this if he notices Carrey’s exit (via Movie Web).

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CBS News

Musk’s takeover threw the media world into chaos because nobody knew who to trust. Fake news became rampant because there were many imitation profiles on the platform. That’s why CBS News became the first network news site to leave the app temporarily. They came back but they had genuine fears about the site’s direction.

They wrote: “In light of the uncertainty around Twitter and out of an abundance of caution, @cbsnews is temporarily pausing its activity on the social media platform as it continues to monitor the situation.” It’s bad news for Musk that major news sites fear that his antics are too much trouble to deal with (via The Hill).

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Pedro Pascal

It’s safe to say that Pascal is more vocal than the character he plays in The Mandalorian. The Chilean star is enjoying a lot of success in fantasy and sci-fi series. Meanwhile, he enjoys exercising the freedom of speech that Musk talks about all of the time. Unfortunately, this sometimes comes at the Space X CEO’s expense.

In a series of abusive and colorful tweets, Pascal put Musk on full blast. He insulted the entrepreneur’s false sense of masculinity ad tore him apart in front of the world. Then he paused his account as he came up for air from the social network. Some people won’t like it but it was an entertaining sequence (via The Mary Sue).

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Ellen Pompeo

Grey’s Anatomy creator Shonda Rhimes left Twitter because she despises Elon Musk. One of the show’s stars, Ellen Pompeo also quit the platform because of the polarizing boss. First, she tweeted: “Not hanging around for whatever Elon has planned. Bye.” This summed up her feelings about the controversial boss.

It’s evident that many people have a personal issue with Musk and hate everything that he represents. Some Twitter users observed the irony of rich celebrities decrying the pitfalls of capitalism. There is some clear hypocrisy and bandwagoning in some cases. But we don’t know if that’s the situation with Pompeo (via NME).

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Mondalez International Inc.

Many people won’t know Mondalez but they’re one of the biggest confectionary producers on the planet. That’s right, they make Oreos, one of the world’s most popular cookies. But don’t expect to see many advertisements for Oreos on Twitter now because they’ve pulled their spending on the platform.

They saw it as an excessive risk because of Musk’s attitude toward advertisers. Meanwhile, the changing security situation on the platform cost several corporations a lot of money. That’s why so many advertisers are shaking their heads and focusing on different forums (via Forbes).

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Laura Benanti

Benanti made her name in Younger and is a familiar face to many TV fans. Some critics didn’t like the way that she left Twitter because they felt she could have handled her departure with more class. She told Musk where to go offensively and then said that she was leaving the platform.

Musk probably has no idea who she is and doesn’t care because he has bigger fish to fry. But this wasn’t the classiest celebrity departure from Twitter. There’s no need to be offensive because it’s adding fuel to the fire. Unfortunately, Benanti let herself down (via The Wrap).

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Balenciaga

Musk’s decision to fire half of his Twitter staff had severe ramifications for the platform. Massive companies around the world left Twitter or quit paying for advertising. Remember, the site depends on this money for revenue but Musk didn’t care. The Parisian luxury brand, Balenciaga, became one of the latest to leave.

Balenciaga confirmed that it deleted its Twitter account but made no further comment. If it was just one company, it wouldn’t be a big deal for Twitter. But these departures are coming hot and fast in a series of blows for the platform. Only time will tell if they change their minds if the company survives (via SCMP).

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Stephen Fry

Nobody can accuse Fry of having a problem with free speech. The English comic famously said that it doesn’t matter if his words offend somebody. However, they can choose not to listen to him or consume his content. That’s also why he left Twitter because he doesn’t want to use it anymore (via Metro).

His final tweet saw him upload a picture of scrabble tiles spelling the word, “goodbye.” He didn’t need to say anything else because this was enough. Fry opted not to go into detail about his departure but he informed his fans first. That’s a sensible move for a celebrity because they don’t want to take their support for granted.

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Donald Trump

The former U.S. President is a fascinating case because of his unique relationship with Twitter. Technically, he never left Twitter by choice because the site suspended his account. However, when Musk bought the platform he invited users to vote over whether he should reactivate it (via Vanity Fair).

Then he sent a groveling message to the polarizing former President about the change. But Trump dismissed this and said that he was happy using his independent platform. This was a massive slap in the face for Musk because it embarrassed him in front of the world.

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Mick Foley

Wrestling legend Foley used Musk as a reason to cut ties with the platform. He didn’t completely blame Musk for his decision because he said his addiction to the network was also unhealthy. Foley claimed that he had difficulties using it in moderation and said that it wasn’t positive in the current climate (via Wrestling Headlines).

On his podcast, he said: “As it became progressively more divisive, I began to feel like I was swimming in a pool full of turds. One turd, you can dodge that turd and you can still enjoy the crystal water, but at a certain point, when being on Twitter just becomes an exercise in dodging turds, it’s time to get out of the water and that’s what I did.”

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Eli Lilly

The Eli Lilly crisis was one of the most dramatic side effects of Musk’s takeover. When he changed the verification system it made it easier for people to create fake accounts. Somebody made an Eli Lilly account and announced they were cutting the cost of insulin completely (via Forbes).

However, this had a shocking impact on their stock prices as it frightened investors. Then it left Eli Lilly in a tricky position because their customers thought it was fantastic. In the end, they agreed to slice a chunk off the price of insulin. They also stopped paying for advertising on Twitter because it was dangerous.

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Alex Winter

Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure remains a cult classic because of its goofy humor. Winter played the former titular character alongside Keanu Reeves. The outspoken actor left Twitter because Musk insists on reintroducing banned accounts. Now he thinks that it is a forum for hatred (via Nerds and Beyond).

Winter wrote on Instagram: “Elon Musk taking over Twitter and making it a private company with less oversight has immediately made the platform more prone to hate speech, targeted attacks, and the spread of disinformation. If Twitter returns to being a public company run by rational actors, many of us will return.”

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Mia Farrow

Farrow is a hypocrite because she announced that she would leave Twitter if Musk took over. She said this in April when the rumors of Musk’s interest began to intensify. However, she changed her tune after the Tesla CEO bought the site in November. It’s incredible to see her change of tune (via OutKick).

Technically, Farrow never left Twitter but it’s interesting to see her point of view. She tweeted to Musk: “You gave us Tesla and Space X. Thank you! Hope you can keep Twitter worthy of your previous achievements and lawful people everywhere.” It’s also worth noting that Musk didn’t create Tesla but became its biggest investor.

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Playbill

Broadway fans know Playbill as one of the biggest sources of news in the industry. They left Twitter for reasons they made clear on their website. They wrote: “In a statement serving as our final-ever post on Twitter, Playbill has announced that we will no longer use the social media platform following an expanded “tolerance for hate, negativity, and misinformation.”

However, Playbill continues to use Facebook, Instagram, and Tik Tok. Interestingly, Playbill left Twitter completely instead of cutting its advertising spending. They had over 400,000 followers on Twitter so it was a substantial number of people. In the end, it all adds up for Musk and his remaining minions.

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Jameela Jamil

Most U.S. fans know Jamil as the star of The Good Place. But the British actress is far from a one-trick pony and is a prominent member of society. She also has a lot of followers on social media. But they’ll have to focus on her Instagram now because she left Twitter after Musk purchased it.

She told her fans about her intentions before she finished using the account. “One good thing about Elon buying Twitter is that I will *FINALLY* leave and stop being a complete menace to society on here,” Jamil tweeted. “So it’s win-win for you all really.” We enjoyed her self-deprecating humor a lot (via People).

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Josh Gad

Many people won’t recognize Gad’s face but they’ll still know his voice. That’s because he played Olaf in Frozen, along with many other great roles. Meanwhile, the actor has a difficult relationship with Twitter and questioned the new direction of the platform. He’s not the first to do so but he won’t be the last while Musk owns it (via The Mirror).

He tweeted: “Large exodus happening on this platform. Not sure if I stay or not. Leaning towards staying, but if today is a sign of things to come, not sure what the point is. Freedom of speech is great. Hate speech intended to incite harm (with no consequences) ain’t what I signed up for.”

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Ken Olin

This veteran actor left Twitter because he felt enough was enough. He tweeted: “Hey all – I’m out of here. No judgment. Let’s keep the faith. Let’s protect our democracy. Let’s try to be kinder. Let’s try to save the planet. Let’s try to be more generous. Let’s look to find peace in the world.”

It’s a nice sentiment and it’s fair that he didn’t want to engage with the platform anymore. Many Musk defenders accuse these celebrities of attacking freedom of speech. This isn’t fair because they have the right to choose the arena they want to use. This is the situation for Olin and many others (via August Man).

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Whoopi Goldberg

Everybody knows Goldberg because she is one of the most beloved actresses of her generation. The Sister Act star also popped up in the Star Trek series and has enjoyed a long career. However, she isn’t a fan of Musk and the direction he’s taking his new toy. That’s why she’s left Twitter until it stabilizes or becomes more positive.

Goldberg explained her perspective on The View (via Hollywood Reporter). She said: “I just feel like it’s so messy, and I’m tired of now having had certain kinds of attitudes blocked, and now they’re back on. I’m going to get out, and if it settles down and I feel more comfortable, maybe I’ll come back.”

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United

One of the biggest players in the U.S. aviation industry, United decided to cut advertising spending on Twitter. The airline company agreed that Musk made it too risky for them to pour millions monthly into it. There were fears that other companies like American Airlines and Delta would follow suit.

United will likely resume its advertising activities on the platform shortly. Some people feared that Twitter would collapse after Musk bought it. However, the social network will probably stabilize after Musk stops making dumb decisions (via Essence). We’re being very optimistic but it appears to be the case.

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Jack White

White had one of the most visceral and genuine reactions to Musk’s Twitter takeover. The Seven Nations Army star deleted his account before he took to Instagram to rant about it. He launched an astonishing attack against the Tesla CEO as he made his feelings clear in front of the world.

He wrote: “You intend to give platforms to known liars and wash your hands like Pontius Pilate and claim no responsibility?” He’s not a fan of allowing known violators to return to the platform. These people broke the rules and incited violence in real life but Musk invited them back (via Rolling Stone).

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Liz Phair

Several legendary musicians left Twitter after Musk bought the platform. Phair joined their ranks because she doesn’t want to see hate on her feed every day. Many people think that this is an argument against free speech but she’s not stopping anybody from saying what they want (via Billboard).

Before she deleted her account she wrote: “And the band played on… for not much longer. I’m feeling the deck quaking, so I will add my thanks to each and every one of you for the laughs, the learning, the love, the connection, and the inspiration. A wonderful experience overall. Timing TBD.”

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Audi

Musk’s Twitter buy-out affected every industry because they all advertise on the platform. This included car manufacturers because it’s a useful forum for them. However, the German luxury brand Audi decided to pause its work on the site because of uncertainty. This made them the first European car company to stop advertising on Twitter.

They said that they were waiting to see what would happen before renewing their efforts on the platform. There were too many risks at the time because of the increased number of fake accounts and profiles. It would be very damaging if someone pretended to be Audi and answered that they were giving away free cars (via Reuters).

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David Simon

Simon’s filmography is the stuff that most screenwriters dream of. Everybody associates him with his most important work on The Wire. But he also enjoyed a lot of critical success with The Deuce as well as The Plot Against America. However, he left Twitter because of the platform’s new direction (via Forbes).

The writer lambasted Musk in a series of tweets. He aimed the new verification fee as well as the site’s hateful discourse. He wrote: “Not for eight dollars or eight cents. No more free content for a platform that, while already vulnerable, is being tailored for organized disinformation and anti-Semitic/racist provocation.”

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Kraft

One of the biggest food conglomerates on the planet, Kraft is a massive advertiser. They have a significant online presence because they want to connect with their customers. But the conglomerate paused spending money on Twitter because of Musk’s manic behavior (via CBS News).

This was a serious blow for Musk because Kraft has a lot of influence over its customers. It also shows that his decisions impacted every industry. This sent a warning to other social networks because everything can change instantly. That’s why they shouldn’t rock the boat too heavily.

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Brian Koppelman

Online abuse drastically increased after Musk bought Twitter. This coincided with many celebrities leaving the platform. Koppelman is the successful showrunner of the TV series, Billions. He decided that he wanted to take a breather from the social network and changed his account to private.

Then he invited his followers to join him on other platforms. This was a painful blow to Musk because famous people are advising regular folks to use other social media. They’re promoting rival businesses on his platform before quitting. It’s an entertaining series of events and he can’t stop them (via The Hill).

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Marina Sirtis

Siritis famously starred as Deanna Troi in Star Trek: The Next Generation. She’s also a big proponent of free speech and equal rights. Sirtis uses her public image and social media to advance the causes that she cares about. But she felt that Twitter was no longer the appropriate forum for this (via Newsweek).

She also noted the hypocrisy of her haters on the platform because she received a lot of abuse. Sirtis tweeted: “If I needed confirmation that leaving Twitter was the right move, Musk’s tweet about the attack on Paul Pelosi (which he later deleted) and the avalanche of hate that I received when I announced I was leaving, reinforced my decision.”

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Toni Braxton

A seven-time Grammy Award winner, Braxton is one of the most successful artists in history. She’s also a proponent of equal rights and believes in basic decency. In short, she left Twitter because she felt that the social network was missing this trait. She doesn’t think that it is a healthy place and stopped using the site.

I’m shocked and appalled at some of the ‘free speech’ I’ve seen on this platform since its acquisition. Hate speech under the veil of ‘free speech’ is unacceptable; therefore I am choosing to stay off Twitter as it is no longer a safe space for myself, my sons, and other POC (via Stylecaster).”

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Trent Reznor

Reznor spoke to the Hollywood Reporter after he left Twitter. He quit because he didn’t like the way a billionaire bought the site and demonstrated a God Complex. Meanwhile, he thought that it was a toxic environment and felt that it was negatively affecting his mental health (via L.A. Times).

However, Reznor was one of the few celebrities Musk took the time to respond to. The new CEO tweeted about the Nine Inch Nails frontman and called him a ‘crybaby.’ Some people guessed that Reznor’s words hurt Musk more than he wanted to admit. In the end, Reznor made the best decision for himself.

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Volkswagen

Several massive companies joined Mastodon after Musk bought Twitter. These included the German giant, Volkswagen because they were concerned with Twitter’s new direction. Musk insulted the company’s history and association with Adolf Hitler after they made the move.

This probably isn’t the best way to encourage people to stay on the site. However, likely, it didn’t faze Volkswagen too much because it’s all about the numbers at the end of the day. They became the second of two German giants to change their dynamic with the platform (via Bloomberg).

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Erik Larsen

Larsen is one of the greatest comic book writers and artists of his generation. He also left Twitter in 2022 after Musk bought the platform. He’s not the most celebrity on this list but he had thousands of fans who rue his decision. But it was a matter of principle for Larsen after Musk sealed the deal.

The Savage Dragon creator revealed his thought processes in an email to NBC News. He wrote: “Yeah, I left. I said I would leave if Musk bought Twitter. Musk bought Twitter. So, I had no choice. The move only emboldened those most toxic users. The racists, ‘patriots’ and creeps are back in full force.”

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Gigi Hadid

Hadid is one of the most popular models in the world today. She has legions of fans on Instagram and is a true global star. That’s why it was a blow to Musk when she left Twitter because she influences a lot of people. However, the toxic nature of the platform exhausted Hadid, and then Musk tipped her over the edge (via CBS News).

She wrote on her Instagram story: “I deactivated my Twitter account today. For a long time, but especially with its new leadership, it’s becoming more and more of a cesspool of hate & bigotry, and it’s not a place I want to be a part of.” Nobody can say this is unreasonable because these interactions can harm someone’s mental health.

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Pfizer

The Eli Lilly crisis forced pharmaceutical companies to reassess their online activities. Everybody knows Pfizer now because of its role in creating a vaccine during the global health crisis. The corporation creates many drugs but changed its relationship with Twitter after Musk bought it.

They decided to stop paying for advertising because it was too big of a risk in the current market. Several massive global companies made the same decision as Musk changed the landscape. Pfizer remains active on the platform but Musk’s antics mean they won’t pay like before (via Reuters).

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Shonda Rhimes

Grey’s Anatomy is one of the most popular TV shows in the world with a massive following. Rhimes was the original brainchild behind the medical series and wrote for the series. Meanwhile, she’s a very successful producer and won an Emmy Award. But she doesn’t like Musk at all as she made clear on his platform.

She tweeted: “Not hanging around for whatever Elon has planned. Bye.” We’re not sure why Rhimes feels so strongly about Musk but she stayed true to her word. It’s a shame for her fans because Twitter is a great way to connect with others. Sometimes it’s very toxic but when it’s great it’s unique (via South Seattle Emerald).

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Tea Leoni

Leoni was a breakout movie star in the nineties before she moved into TV. These days fans know her as the face of the hit TV show, Madam Secretary. Meanwhile, Leoni isn’t a fan of Musk or his love of free speech without consequences. She left Twitter because she didn’t want to encounter negativity every day (via Indy100).

She tweeted about her decision before she deleted her account for good. Leoni wrote: “Hi everyone. I’m coming off Twitter today — let’s see where we are when the dust settles. Today the dust has revealed too much hate, too much in the wrong direction. Love, kindness, and possibilities for all of you.”

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Moby

It’s fascinating to see how different celebrities approached their Twitter departure. Some of them jumped on the bandwagon because it appeared to be the woke thing to do. But others appeared to have serious feelings about Musk and the Bird app’s devolution. The legendary musician Moby falls firmly into the latter category (via NME).

Moby tweeted: “This will be my last tweet. Last night @elonmusk posted an alt-right anti-Semitic meme, a fake @cnn story, and an image of guns on his bedside table. @Twitter has become a cesspool of racism, antisemitism, disinformation, and dimwitted alt-right hate, and it’s time to leave.”

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Sara Bareilles

Bareilles joined the ranks of celebrities who left Twitter when she announced her departure. Her profile still exists so there’s a chance that she’ll return in the future. But at the moment she thinks that it doesn’t reflect her values or how she interacts with people. That’s why the Grammy winner isn’t using it anymore.

“Welp. It’s been fun Twitter. I’m out,” she tweeted. “See you on other platforms, peeps. Sorry, this one’s just not for me” It’s not shocking that she quit the network because she doesn’t hide her politics. Some people accused her of virtue signaling but it’s no longer an arena she enjoys (via Hola).

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