Can celebrities really manifest their dream roles through style choices?
Hammer commented "Bitter AF” on the article, and deleted his Twitter one day later, claiming that it was a toxic environment. He logged back on in January with the tweet, "Like a Phoenix rising from the ashes..." But, after his sexual misconduct scandal, he's been inactive again.
See also: Celebs who had social media meltdowns
In October 2021, Cardi B decided she had enough of "15-year-olds telling me how to live my life" and supposed fans harassing her on-again, off-again partner Offset. She explained on Instagram that she's tired of getting criticized for every little thing, even things that other people do.
She added, "I love my fans and I'm grateful and thankful for what you do but some of y'all really be acting like I be sleeping with y'all." A lot of the harassment targeted at her and Offset is due to the exes getting back together after having filed for divorce.
Travis Scott deactivated his Instagram account following the widespread social media trolling of the Batman costume he wore for Halloween. The main problem keyboard critics had was that he opted for dark brown instead of the classic black, and Twitter users likened him to a cockroach. Soon after, his account was gone.
The actor has abandoned Twitter on several other occasions, but usually after his own mishaps in the media, from that temper tantrum he had on a plane, to a brawl he had with journalists, to controversial remarks he made about Harvey Weinstein's victims.
The actress deleted all of her Instagram posts, leaving only a black and white profile photo that reads "Afraid, but doing it anyway." The star has yet to return to the social media platform.
Alec Baldwin announced he was leaving Twitter (again) after the uproar over his wife Hilaria's heritage failed to blow over. To refresh your memory, it was revealed that Hilaria's Spanish heritage was a lie—accent and all—and that she was actually born as Hillary, in Boston, Massachusetts. Though she spent time in Spain growing up, Twitter users were not going to let her repeated omission of information go. Nor did they let go of the actor trying to equate his wife's actions to Gillian Anderson's American accent at the Golden Globes. For starters, Anderson is American and just so happens to take on many British roles. She also partially grew up in the UK and has spent a good chunk of the past 20 years there. And, of course, she's a professional actress. Baldwin couldn't take the criticism this time either, so he deactivated his Twitter.
Chrissy Teigen deleted her Twitter account in March 2021 after she described feeling "deeply bruised" by negativity towards her on the social media platform. She shared a long thread with fans thanking them for their support, but explained that she hasn't learned how to "block out the negativity." And then she went through with deleting her account, just like that.
Margot Robbie was never notably active on social media, but even she felt the need to announce her departure. In June 2021, the actress informed her millions of Instagram followers that she's taking a break from the platform. "Jumping off social media for the time being," she wrote alongside a photo of herself celebrating 'Promising Young Woman,' the Oscar-winning film produced by her company LuckyChap Entertainment. "Check out @luckychapentertainment if you're interested in what we're up to, otherwise ciao for now!"
Lana Del Rey announced that she was stepping back from social media in September of 2021. She has been known to speak her mind and engage in arguments with journalists and other celebrities in the past, but decided to direct her attention elsewhere. The singer stated that she would deactivate her Instagram and Twitter accounts to achieve greater privacy and focus on other areas of her life: "For right now, I think I'm going to just keep my circle a little bit closer and continue to develop some other skills and interests." She has since reactivated her accounts.
Selena Gomez is a star who is vocal about the negative impact social media has had on her mental health. She bravely shared the story of a breakdown she suffered in 2018 after becoming overwhelmed by depression and anxiety. "At one point Instagram became my whole world, and it was really dangerous," she explained. "Taking a break from social media was the best decision that I've ever made for my mental health. I created a system where I still don't have my passwords. And the unnecessary hate and comparisons went away once I put my phone down. I'll have moments where that weird feeling will come back, but now I have a much better relationship with myself."
The 'Saturday Night Live' star deleted his Instagram account back in 2018 following his split from Ariana Grande, saying he didn't need the negative energy. However, after a four-year absence, Davidson rejoined the gram. He shared some promos for his upcoming movie 'The Home,' and also posted a cryptic Instagram story with the quote "It’s better to be king for a night than schmuck for a lifetime.” Fans speculated that this post, as well as his return to the platform, were related to the rather one-sided feud involving Kardashian's estranged husband, Kanye "Ye" West. Ye had been taking potshots at Davidson on Instagram in the days prior. Davidson gained almost a million followers within a week, but he deleted his account again on February 23, 2022, having shared very little.
'Spider-Man' star Tom Holland announced that he was taking a break from social media for the sake of his mental health in August 2022. The actor has posted very rarely since then, and only to promote his family's charity, The Brothers Trust. Holland has deactivated his social media before, saying he finds it "overstimulating" and "overwhelming."
Britney Spears has taken breaks from social media every now and again, a right she has surely earned after gaining freedom from her oppressive conservatorship in 2021. However, when she suddenly deactivated her Instagram account on Jan. 24, certain fans began to worry. Some of them even made phone calls to the police as they feared for Spears' safety. This resulted in members of the Ventura County Sheriff's department showing up at her home later that night to perform a welfare check, and the Princess of Pop was none too pleased.
Spears wrote a statement on Twitter on Jan. 26 asking fans not to overreact and to respect her privacy. “I love and adore my fans but this time things went a little too far and my privacy was invaded," she wrote. She went on to explain that news of the police showing up at her home triggered news headlines which once again portrayed her as unstable, even though the police "quickly realized there was no issue and left immediately.” She finished by asking that "the public and my fans who I care so much about can respect my privacy moving forward." She has since reactivated her Instagram.
Cardi B temporarily deactivated her Twitter account once again on April 3, 2022, after clashing with her fans online who were expressing their disappointment over the fact that she did not go the Grammys. Cardi was nominated for Best Rap Performance for 'Up' but didn't win. According to Billboard, the rapper tweeted, “I’m deleting my twitter but On God I hate this f—in dumb— fan base,” before deactivating her account. “You got the slow dumb—es dragging my kids all cause y’all [thought] I was going to the Grammys and I didn’t the f—? When the f— I hinted I was going ?just f—in stupid I can’t I needs to protect myself.”
She was apparently referencing some followers who tweeted about her two children because they were upset she didn't show up to the ceremony. Cardi was already annoyed by fans pressuring her to release a follow-up to her 2018 album 'Invasion of Privacy' earlier that same day, and she reportedly tweeted on the morning of April 3, "When did I hype y’all up ? Where and when did I ever gave hints ? Like are you ok ? I’m not going to a award if I don’t got a new song to perform Or my album ain’t out …Next year.”
Ariana DeBose deactivated her Twitter account after critics attacked her viral opening number at the 2023 BAFTA Awards. The 'West Side Story' star performed 'Sisters Are Doing It For Themselves' and 'We Are Family,' as well as an original rap where she shouted out the female nominees of the night. “Angela Bassett did the thing / Viola Davis my ‘Woman King’ / Blanchett Cate you’re a genius / Jamie Lee you are all of us,” sang DeBose, with the camera panning to the women as they were name-dropped.
"I think it's incredibly unfair, to be frank," producer Nick Bullen said of the criticism to Variety, adding that "the room was clapping, and people were sort of dancing to the music." Bullen continued, "That rap section in the middle, mentioning the women in the room, was because it's been a great year for women in film, and we wanted to celebrate that." He chalked up the criticism to the fact that people think "that the BAFTAs have to be this slightly stiff, traditional British, middle-England messaging," whereas "American awards shows have much more razzmatazz" and they wanted to start evolving "with some gentle changes that start to lay out the stall of what this show should be and where we should be with it."
Whether it be for a single day or several years, multiple big-name stars have opted to remove themselves from the world of social media and the social scrutiny that comes along with it.
'Aladdin' actor Mena Massoud deleted his Twitter account after receiving criticism for some remarks about the 'The Little Mermaid' getting a sequel in comparison to his own Disney live-action, whose sequel was rumored to be in the works but now seems like it won't happen. After news predicted that 'The Little Mermaid' would gross US$115 on its domestic box office weekend, the Egyptian-Canadian actor tweeted on May 13, “Our film was unique in that audiences went to watch it multiple times. It’s the only way we reached the billion dollar mark with our opening. My guess is TLM doesn’t cross the billion mark but will undoubtedly get a sequel.”
His tweet began to draw criticism from people wondering why he was trying to start a fight or set the films up in competition. But instead of engaging any further or clarifying his statement, Massoud deleted his entire Twitter account.
Click through the following gallery to see other A-listers who've deleted their social media accounts.
Celebrities who have given up social media
'Aladdin' star Mena Massoud deletes Twitter following backlash over 'The Little Mermaid' remarks
CELEBRITY Quit
Whether it be for a single day or several years, multiple big-name stars have opted to remove themselves from the world of social media and the social scrutiny that comes along with it.
'Aladdin' actor Mena Massoud deleted his Twitter account after receiving criticism for some remarks about the 'The Little Mermaid' getting a sequel in comparison to his own Disney live-action, whose sequel was rumored to be in the works but now seems like it won't happen. After news predicted that 'The Little Mermaid' would gross US$115 on its domestic box office weekend, the Egyptian-Canadian actor tweeted on May 13, “Our film was unique in that audiences went to watch it multiple times. It’s the only way we reached the billion dollar mark with our opening. My guess is TLM doesn’t cross the billion mark but will undoubtedly get a sequel.”
His tweet began to draw criticism from people wondering why he was trying to start a fight or set the films up in competition. But instead of engaging any further or clarifying his statement, Massoud deleted his entire Twitter account.
Click through the following gallery to see other A-listers who've deleted their social media accounts.