Gigi Hadid has quit Twitter after branding the social media network a “cesspool” following a multi-billion dollar takeover by Elon Musk.
Gigi, 27, announced her departure from the platform to her fans on Instagram on Saturday as she admitted her decision had been prompted by the $44 billion deal by the tech mogul.
The supermodel took to her Instagram Stories to explain her decision to deactivate the account “due to its new leadership.”
She wrote: “I deactivated my Twitter account today. For a long time, but especially with it’s new leadership, it’s becoming more and more of a cesspool of hatred and bigotry, and it’s not a place I want to be part of.
“Only sorry to the fans who I’ve loved connecting with for a decade via Twitter, but I can’t say it’s a safe place for anyone, nor a social platform that will do more good than harm.”
Alongside her post Gigi shared a screenshot of a tweet sent by Shannon Raj Singh where she informed her followers that the entire human rights team had been fired from Twitter.
She admitted her pride in her work as she lamented the decision by the new owner.
She wrote: “Yesterday was my last day at Twitter: The entire human rights team was cut from the company.
“I am enormously proud of the work we did to implement the UN Guiding Principles on Business & Human Rights, to protect those at-risk in global conflicts & crises including Ethiopia, Afghanistan, and , and to defend the needs of those particularly at risk of human rights abuse by virtue of their social media presence, such as journalists & human rights defenders.”
Gigi’s decision to leave comes amid a perceived exodus from the social media site after data firm Bot Sentinel claimed that Twitter may have lost over a million users since Elon took the reins at the firm.
The data indicates that while some users have been suspended from the company, others have deactivated their accounts in protest at the changes already taking place.
Gigi was hugely popular on the site with over 10,536,819 followers of her account eager to see her updates, with her profile now saying “this account doesn’t exist,” when they try to view it.
Many other celebrities and activists have also threatened to leave Twitter, especially after Elon announced plans to introduce a subscription charge to make the company profitable after years of it making no money.
The plan – which will see users charged $8-a-month to be verified with a blue tick – has caused a backlash from users who feel they have earned their recognition without having to pay for it.