Some big Hollywood names have voiced their decision to leave Twitter (Picture: Reuters)

A string of stars announced their decision to leave Twitter in the wake of Elon Musk’s controversial takeover.

The billionaire Tesla founder declared himself ‘Chief Twit’ last week after finally closing his $44billion takeover of the social media platform.

Amid the many changes that have been suggested, some of Hollywood’s biggest names have decided to take a step back from posting.

Shonda Rhimes, creator of Grey’s Anatomy, Scandal and Hot To Get Away With Murder, was among those bidding farewell to followers.

‘Not hanging around for whatever Elon has planned. Bye,’ she penned.

Music icon Toni Braxton also confirmed her exit, penning: ‘I’m shocked and appalled at some of the “free speech” I’ve seen on this platform since its acquisition.

Shonda Rhimes announced that she is leaving Twitter (Picture: Getty)

Sara Bareilles also followed suit (Picture: Getty)

‘Hate speech under the veil of “free speech” is unacceptable; therefore I am choosing to stay off Twitter as it is no longer a safe space for myself, my sons and other POC.’

Sara Bareilles said that she is ‘out’, but added that fans can continue to follow her on other platforms.

‘Welp. It’s been fun Twitter,’ she said. ‘I’m out. See you on other platforms, peeps. Sorry, this one’s just not for me.’

WWE star Mick Foley took to Facebook to share his thoughts, but revealed that he could be back in the future.

‘I decided I needed a @twitter break, since the new ownership – and the misinformation and hate it seems to be encouraging – has my stomach in a knot,’ he said in a post titled ‘Taking a break’.

‘I really do enjoy connecting with all of you on social media, but it can get overwhelming sometimes. I think I’ll be back on in a few weeks, but in the meantime, I will continue to post on Facebook and Instagram.

‘I hope all of you will be kind to one another. Please vote if you can too – our democracy seems to be hanging on by a thread.’

On the flip side, George Takei insisted that he would be sticking around amid the changes, vowing to remain a beacon of positivity.

Mick Foley announced his break from Twitter on Facebook (Picture: Facebook)

‘I’m not going anywhere. Should this place become more toxic, I pledge to strive even harder to lift up reason, science, compassion and the rule of law,’ he said.

‘The struggle against fascism, misinformation, and hate requires tough fighters. I hope you stay in the fight, right beside me.’

Stephen King was left fuming at possible charges for verified accounts to keep their blue ticks, and said that he would also be leaving Twitter if the suggested $20 monthly fee was instated.

‘$20 a month to keep my blue check? F**k that, they should pay me. If that gets instituted, I’m gone like Enron,’ he added.

Musk confirmed that changes were coming for the social media platform (Picture: Getty)

The acclaimed author may be slightly appeased after the new Twitter owner’s latest post, as he announced that the monthly charge has dropped to $8 – after previous plans were highly criticized.

‘Twitter’s current lords & peasants system for who has or doesn’t have a blue checkmark is bulls**t. Power to the people! Blue for $8/month,’ he tweeted earlier today.

‘Price adjusted by country proportionate to purchasing power parity.

More: Trending

‘You will also get: – Priority in replies, mentions & search, which is essential to defeat spam/scam – Ability to post long video & audio – Half as many ads. And paywall bypass for publishers willing to work with us.

‘This will also give Twitter a revenue stream to reward content creators.’ Twitter Blue currently costs $4.99 per month and allows subscribers to edit or undo tweets in some countries, read articles without ads and customize the navigation bar.

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They are not happy.