Playbill Deactivates Twitter Account Because 'Expanded Tolerance' Of Hate Speech

Playbill deactivated its Twitter account Friday, citing the platform's support of "hateful virality" following the Elon Musk takeover.

Playbill, the news outlet and guide for everyone in the Broadway theater community, said it is also leaving due to the platform's expanded tolerance of hate speech.

In a statement released Friday, Playbill said the social media platform has "greatly expanded its tolerance for hate, negativity, and misinformation."

The update comes after many celebrities and brands left Twitter following the Elon Musk takeover. Newsweek reached out to many who decided to close their accounts because Musk has done little to address hate speech.

"Lately, Twitter has chosen to sacrifice civility for hateful virality while being reckless with its users' data and privacy. Twitter is no longer a platform that we want to support with our presence, nor do we want our audience to support it. This is why we are abandoning Twitter. And if other social media companies take a similarly destructive route, we will respond accordingly," Playbill also said in a statement.

The account, which had more than 400,000 followers, was not active on Twitter as of Friday.

Playbill CEO and Chairman Philip S. Birsh said the platform is doing little to address hate speech and misinformation, which is "dangerous for us as a brand and as members of our community."

Playbill will also continue to participate on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok. Readers were also encouraged to subscribe to the Playbill Post, a daily email newsletter.

The company added that any tweet from a Twitter account that contains the Playbill name is fake.

The following Playbill Twitter accounts are no longer active: @Playbill, @PlaybillTravel, @PLAYBILLder, @PlaybillArts, and @PlaybillStore. The company said it would maintain its social media presence on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok.