The mystery surrounding the blue checks on X, formerly Twitter, has been a hot topic in recent months. It began with high-profile individuals losing their verification badges, and later, some miraculously regained them thanks to company CEO Elon Musk shelling out the dough. Shortly after, accounts with a million-plus followers reportedly started regaining the sought-after blue check mark. Even late celebrities were mysteriously getting their blue ticks back. Amid the chaos of this X circus, even Ryan Reynolds found himself caught up. 

Ryan Reynolds recently got his blue check back on X, after losing it for the second time, and his fans could not be happier. But why was Reynolds’ blue check mark taken away in the first place? 

Ryan Reynolds lost his blue check because of his love for Deadpool

In 2023, Elon Musk, X’s CEO, confirmed that users wanting to retain their blue ticks would need to shell out a monthly fee to the company. The plan was swiftly put into action, resulting in the removal of ticks for those who did not immediately pay the charges, regardless of their follower count. Although Reynolds retained his blue check back last year, he lost it again because of a change in his profile picture. X has a rule of removing its verification badges once an account changes its profile photo. 

Reynolds’ new Deadpool profile picture led him to lose his verification badge. Before Elon Musk acquired the platform, Twitter freely handed out the blue tick as a verification badge. Its primary purpose was to curb fake accounts and the dissemination of misinformation. But after this new update, the blue tick marks have become a premium service that one has to pay for. The subscription fees fluctuate depending on the location but typically come in at around $8 per month. 

While Elon Musk wiped out Ryan Reynolds’ blue mark on X in 2023, he had a few celebrities in his corner that he was personally backing.

Elon Musk paid the premium for some celebrities 

Ryan Reynolds was not the only celeb skipping out on the Tick subscription in 2023. Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, and Bill Gates also hopped on the unverified celebrity bandwagon. While these stars carried on using the platform without the verification stamp, there were a chosen few whom Musk deemed above the rules. The chosen ones in Musk’s good graces included author Stephen King, LeBron James, and actor William Shatner. 

The 51-year-old X bigwig has not let fans in on why he was giving special treatment to these three celebrities. Nevertheless, personalities like Taylor Swift, Rihanna, and Cardi B paid their premium and retained their blue marks. While the whole pay-for-a-blue-tick thing has caused a ruckus in the past, it looks like Musk is standing firm on his decision this time. 

What is your take on Musk making the subscription a must? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!