S Poddar
The Monty Python alum and comedy icon John Cleese is apparently done with X-formerly Twitter. The star bid adieu in a recent post, throwing in a nod to the owner, Elon Musk. “Goodbye, Twitter,” Cleese wrote. “And thanks for dinner, Elon.”
It is not particularly surprising that Cleese leaves X during times when high-profile exits have happened left, right, and center. Celebrities like Stephen Fry, Whoopi Goldberg, and Gigi Hadid have quit one after another since, especially after Musk took over the site in 2022. Cleese’s quitting joins the trend of them all to show great discontent among some of its prominent users.
Interestingly, Cleese’s daughter, Camilla, seemed to poke fun at her dad’s exit. Responding to his farewell post, she said, “This won’t age well. See you in the morning!”-as if Cleese wasn’t going to be in exile for very long.
The exodus of celebrities from X part of a larger trend. Earlier this year, star of the popular show “Wednesday,” Jenna Ortega revealed why she left the platform. Clearly incensed, Ortega, now a teenager, cited her dismay at technology being used against her will. “I hate AI,” she said in an interview with The New York Times. “While AI does have a great capacity for some breakthroughs, like the early detection of cancer, there are so many negative situations, like the situation I’m in, that it’s just really disturbing.”
Ortega’s experience has underlined a growing unease about privacy and the ethics of AI. She said having some sexually explicit, edited images of herself pop in as a child was terrifying and corrupting. The impact of such experiences on individuals, especially young ones, provides added weight to debates currently running regarding the regulation of digital content and AI applications.
Notably, John Cleese has also spoken about his current financial challenges. In spite of his highly successful career, Cleese has made it categorically known that his 2008 divorce from his third wife Alyce Faye Eichelberger is costly. In an interview with Saga Magazine, Cleese explained how the divorce dramatically changed what was once a sound financial future. Can you believe when I met her, I had a beautiful house in Holland Park and no mortgage, and when I broke up with her, I had a flat in Sloane Square and a full mortgage? ” he reflected.
He also continued to express his puzzlement with how the settlement was valued: “How they figured out she was worth $20 million, I have no idea.
That has not deterred Cleese, who remains upbeat about it. He said that the divorce period was really quite difficult and that he learned to let go of the anger in the absurdity of it all. His view on the subject is wise and regards his humor in life’s setbacks. Cleese’s departure from X, owing to his candor over personal and financial matters, makes him one comic who has not yet overcome the whimsy of contemporary media with his usual humor and resilience in personal turmoil.
