Jamie Lee Curtis and Don Lemon quit X, formerly Twitter: 'Time for me to leave'

Jamie Lee Curtis and Don Lemon are among the big-name X (formerly Twitter) users leaving the social media site since President-elect Donald Trump announced the platform's owner, Elon Musk, will have a role in his administration.

In a Nov. 13 Instagram post, "Halloween" actress Curtis shared a screenshot showing her X account's successful deactivation. In her caption, she quoted the Serenity Prayer: "God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change. Courage to change the things I can. And the wisdom to know the difference."

USA TODAY has reached out to representatives for Curtis for comment.

Around the same time, former CNN anchor Lemon posted an Instagram Reel and a statement on X detailing his reasons for leaving the Musk-owned platform, with which he's had a contentious relationship. In August, Lemon sued Musk over a scrapped content partnership deal with X.

“I have loved connecting with all of you on Twitter and then on X for all of these years, but it’s time for me to leave the platform,” Lemon said in the Reel. “I once believed it was a place for honest debate and discussion, transparency, and free speech, but I now feel it does not serve that purpose.”

Lemon also pointed to X's new terms of service, which go into effect on Friday and direct all legal disputes to be "brought exclusively in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas or state courts located in Tarrant County, Texas."

“As the Washington Post recently reported on X’s decision to change the terms, this ‘ensures that such lawsuits will be heard in courthouses that are a hub for conservatives, which experts say could make it easier for X to shield itself from litigation and punish critics,'” Lemon said. “I think that speaks for itself.”

This is not the first time changes at X have prompted high-profile users to leave the platform. In 2022, after Musk bought the site, stars like Jim Carrey and Whoopi Goldberg deactivated their accounts.

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Gabrielle Union declares 'Enough is enough'

On Nov. 15, Gabrielle Union released a statement on X announcing her departure from the platform.

The "L.A.'s Finest" actress wrote, "There are pivotal moments in life when we must declare that enough is enough — and for me, today is that day.

“Platforms like X were founded on authentic connections, true engagement and creative expression, all anchored in respect for user privacy and trust. Yet with the recent and upcoming changes to the terms of service — and the return of volatile figures — I find myself at a crossroads, facing a direction I can no longer fully support.”

The actress continued, “I am committed to engaging in spaces that truly value inclusivity, respect and integrity in the digital word. Sometimes, that means recognizing the last straw and knowing when to step away.”

Union encouraged fans to keep up-to-date with her on Instagram, Threads and Facebook, as well as TikTok, BlueSky and Spill.

BlueSky, which was founded by former Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey in 2019, reported 2.5 million new signups in the post-election week and record engagement, including likes and follows. According to X's self-reported data on Nov. 5-6, the site saw a 15.5% increase in new user signups on Election Day and boasted a record number of posts and time spent on the mobile app.

Stephen King says X has 'become too toxic'

"King of Horror" Stephen King, once an avid X user, has wiped his account of all posts, except for his Nov. 14 announcement that he's "leaving Twitter."

"Tried to stay, but the atmosphere has just become too toxic. Follow me on Threads, if you like," the "Carrie" and "Salem's Lot" author wrote.

In his reaction to the presidential election results the previous week (among the deleted posts), King expressed concern for democracy. "There's a sign you can see in many shops that sell beautiful but fragile items: LOVELY TO LOOK AT, DELIGHTFUL TO HOLD, BUT ONCE YOU BREAK IT, THEN IT'S SOLD. You can say the same about democracy," the author wrote.

UK news outlet The Guardian is also leaving 'toxic' Twitter

On Wednesday morning, the U.K. newspaper The Guardian, which also has offices in the U.S. and Australia, announced plans to stop sharing content with its 27 million followers across more than 80 accounts on X.

"We think that the benefits of being on X are now outweighed by the negatives and that resources could be better used promoting our journalism elsewhere," the outlet's announcement reads.

"This is something we have been considering for a while given the often disturbing content promoted or found on the platform, including far-right conspiracy theories and racism. The US presidential election campaign served only to underline what we have considered for a long time: that X is a toxic media platform and that its owner, Elon Musk, has been able to use its influence to shape political discourse."

The message concludes: "Thankfully, we can do this because our business model does not rely on viral content tailored to the whims of the social media giants’ algorithms – instead we’re funded directly by our readers."

Musk quickly fired back a response: "They are irrelevant." In a separate post, he wrote, "They are a dying publication."

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Last April, NPR left X after its main account was labeled "state-affiliated media," then later "government-funded media." The designation was "falsely implying that we are not editorially independent," the nonprofit news company said in a statement to USA TODAY at the time.

A day later, PBS left the platform under the same circumstances.

Musk, who also owns SpaceX and Tesla, bought the social media site then known as Twitter in 2022 for a reported $44 billion.

On Tuesday, Trump announced Musk, who backed his return to the White House with public appearances and reportedly millions in donations, and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, a former rival for the Republican presidential ticket, as his picks to co-lead a so-called Department of Government Efficiency.

The department would "dismantle government bureaucracy, slash excess regulations, cut wasteful expenditures, and restructure federal agencies," Trump said in a statement. He has not offered further details about how the group would operate and whether it would be a government agency or an advisory board.

Contributing: Kinsey Crowley

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Jamie Lee Curtis, Don Lemon ditch Twitter as Trump appoints Elon Musk