Twitter says LeBron James and other celebs are paying for verification even though they aren’t

LeBron James has perhaps been the most famous hater of paid verification on Twitter, insisting that, like Martin Lawrence’s TV show character, “I ain’t paying the $5.” But if you check his profile right now, he still has a verified badge. Once you hover over the badge, it says that “this account is verified because they are subscribed to Twitter Blue and verified their phone number.” But we contacted James’ media advisor, Adam Mendelsohn, who confirmed that James hasn’t paid the $8 monthly fee.

Many other NBA players, like Stephen Curry, Zion Williamson, and Ja Morant, appeared to have lost their blue checks on Thursday.

James hasn’t yet posted about the situation on his Twitter account. But other notable celebrities have been more vocal about still being verified. Stephen King, who is partially responsible for Twitter Blue not costing $20 per month, says he hasn’t subscribed to Twitter Blue or given the company his phone number.

Rapper Ice T, who said “fuck that checkmark” in March, also still has a verified badge. “The fact that we’re even discussing Blue Check marks is a Sad moment in society,” he said on Thursday. “Smh lol.”

When reached for comment, Twitter’s press email replied with a poop emoji, which it has been doing for weeks.