Chrissy Teigen (Photo by Chris Weeks/Getty Images for UNIQLO)
Sports Illustrated swimsuit model Chrissy Teigen quit Twitter
last week after she says she received threatening messages from users
upset with her thoughts on gun control and school shootings.
Teigen, who is known for posting
amusing and acute messages on everything from pop culture to world
events, was apparently so upset by the backlash that she decided to bid
adieu to one of her favorite pastimes. "I feel sick," she wrote. "Bye
Twitter. Taking my talents to Instagram."
But John Legend's wife, 28, is
hardly the first celebrity to call it quits with the social media
platform. Below, we've assembled a list of some of the more famous
Twitter splits, what inspired the adios, and whether the star came back
to share his or her thoughts in 140 characters or less.
John Mayer
Quit Twitter: Sept. 2010
What Pushed Him Over the Edge: Mayer told E! Online he realized he was a "tweetaholic" and needed a break. "I stopped using Twitter as an outlet and I started using Twitter as the instrument to riff on, and it started to make my mind smaller and smaller and smaller. And I couldn't write a song."
Could He Stay Away?: Mayer's Twitter sabbatical lasted more than three years. He returned in early 2014, writing, "I'm back. What'd I miss?"
Quit Twitter: Sept. 2010
What Pushed Him Over the Edge: Mayer told E! Online he realized he was a "tweetaholic" and needed a break. "I stopped using Twitter as an outlet and I started using Twitter as the instrument to riff on, and it started to make my mind smaller and smaller and smaller. And I couldn't write a song."
Could He Stay Away?: Mayer's Twitter sabbatical lasted more than three years. He returned in early 2014, writing, "I'm back. What'd I miss?"
Miley Cyrus
Quit Twitter: Oct. 2009
What Pushed Her Over the Edge: Miley quit out of love, apparently. She explained that her then-boyfriend Liam Hemsworth asked her to quit because he didn't have an account. Hmm, OK.
Could She Stay Away?: That's a big negative. Cyrus was back aboard the Twitter train a short time later. She and Hemsworth broke off their engagement in 2013. The moral of the story: Love is temporary, Twitter is forever (unless you delete your account, but even still, it's probably cached somewhere).
Quit Twitter: Oct. 2009
What Pushed Her Over the Edge: Miley quit out of love, apparently. She explained that her then-boyfriend Liam Hemsworth asked her to quit because he didn't have an account. Hmm, OK.
Could She Stay Away?: That's a big negative. Cyrus was back aboard the Twitter train a short time later. She and Hemsworth broke off their engagement in 2013. The moral of the story: Love is temporary, Twitter is forever (unless you delete your account, but even still, it's probably cached somewhere).
Kanye West
Quit Twitter: Oct. 2012
What Pushed Him Over the Edge?: Who the heck knows? The man's a mystery. West posted a message saying, "BE BACK SOON," and deleted all of his previous tweets.
Could He Stay Away?: Nope. A day later (give or take), the rapper was back on Twitter, sending out his condolences for the late great Steve Jobs on the one-year anniversary of his death. When Yeezy said, "soon," he meant it
Quit Twitter: Oct. 2012
What Pushed Him Over the Edge?: Who the heck knows? The man's a mystery. West posted a message saying, "BE BACK SOON," and deleted all of his previous tweets.
Could He Stay Away?: Nope. A day later (give or take), the rapper was back on Twitter, sending out his condolences for the late great Steve Jobs on the one-year anniversary of his death. When Yeezy said, "soon," he meant it
Adele (Photo by Jon Furniss/WireImage)
Adele
Quit Twitter: Nov. 2012
What Pushed Her Over the Edge: Internet trolls (haters with nothing better to do) wrote some disturbing things about Adele's newborn baby boy, leading the singer to call it quits with the social network.
Could She Stay Away?: Adele returned a short time later. The Oscar-winning crooner doesn't post often, but when she does, it's usually pretty great. "I just met Daniel f***ing Day Lewis," she wrote in January 2013. Take that, trolls.
Alec Baldwin
Quit Twitter: July 2013. He also quit (temporarily) in 2011 after that whole Words With Friends on the airplane fiasco.
What Pushed Him Over the Edge (This Time): A war of words with paparazzi following the funeral of friend James Gandolfini. A journalist accused Baldwin's wife, Hilaria, of being on her cell phone during the service for the The Sopranos star.
Could He Stay Away?: Nope. Baldwin is back on Twitter, though he told Howard Stern that he limits himself to retweeting the words of others. He also tweets from his ABFoundation account, which supports the arts and artists.
Quit Twitter: July 2013. He also quit (temporarily) in 2011 after that whole Words With Friends on the airplane fiasco.
What Pushed Him Over the Edge (This Time): A war of words with paparazzi following the funeral of friend James Gandolfini. A journalist accused Baldwin's wife, Hilaria, of being on her cell phone during the service for the The Sopranos star.
Could He Stay Away?: Nope. Baldwin is back on Twitter, though he told Howard Stern that he limits himself to retweeting the words of others. He also tweets from his ABFoundation account, which supports the arts and artists.
Jennifer Love Hewitt
Quit Twitter: July 2013
What Pushed Her Over the Edge: Hewitt became disgusted by the hatred she saw on the platform. "Unfortunately with all the negativity people choose to send on Twitter as well as threats to their own well being, I'm sad to say Twitter is no longer for me. I have enjoyed all the kindness and love that came my way, as well as support. But this break is needed."
Could She Stay Away?: Nope. Hewitt is back on Twitter, but posts only sporadically. She last tweeted about a month ago when she made an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live.
Quit Twitter: July 2013
What Pushed Her Over the Edge: Hewitt became disgusted by the hatred she saw on the platform. "Unfortunately with all the negativity people choose to send on Twitter as well as threats to their own well being, I'm sad to say Twitter is no longer for me. I have enjoyed all the kindness and love that came my way, as well as support. But this break is needed."
Could She Stay Away?: Nope. Hewitt is back on Twitter, but posts only sporadically. She last tweeted about a month ago when she made an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live.
Patton Oswalt
Quit Twitter: June 1, 2014
What Pushed Him Over the Edge: Nothing, as far as we can tell. The comedian and actor said he wanted to take a break from social media and we're inclined to believe the guy. Though it's important to note that some folks out there were upset by the way in which Oswalt fake trolled, using one tweet to write something hateful and then another to clarify/continue his thought about something far less outrageous.
Could He Stay Away?: No, but he always said he'd be back. Oswalt returned from his hiatus a few months later and resumed his postings. Since joining in May 2010, he's tweeted over 17,000 times. Slow down, Patton. Pace yourself.
Quit Twitter: June 1, 2014
What Pushed Him Over the Edge: Nothing, as far as we can tell. The comedian and actor said he wanted to take a break from social media and we're inclined to believe the guy. Though it's important to note that some folks out there were upset by the way in which Oswalt fake trolled, using one tweet to write something hateful and then another to clarify/continue his thought about something far less outrageous.
Could He Stay Away?: No, but he always said he'd be back. Oswalt returned from his hiatus a few months later and resumed his postings. Since joining in May 2010, he's tweeted over 17,000 times. Slow down, Patton. Pace yourself.
Demi Lovato
Quit Twitter: Oct. 2010
What Pushed Her Over the Edge: Lovato took a break from Twitter to focus on personal issues.
Could She Stay Away?: She returned a few months later, much to the delight of her fans. “I love you guys SO MUCH … this support is UNBELIEVABLE!! I’m tearing up I’m so thankful,” the pop star wrote.
Quit Twitter: Oct. 2010
What Pushed Her Over the Edge: Lovato took a break from Twitter to focus on personal issues.
Could She Stay Away?: She returned a few months later, much to the delight of her fans. “I love you guys SO MUCH … this support is UNBELIEVABLE!! I’m tearing up I’m so thankful,” the pop star wrote.
Megan Fox
Quit Twitter: Jan. 2013, less than a week after joining
What Pushed Her Over the Edge: Fox wasn't upset by anything in particular; she just didn't see the point in tweeting. On Facebook (burn!), she wrote, ""Some of you may, or may not have noticed by now that my Twitter account has been shut down. I thought that 2013 might be the year I finally blossomed into a social networking butterfly… but as it turns out I still hate it. Love you guys but I can never be that girl. Facebook is as much as I can handle."
Could She Stay Away?: Yep! Her profile is still up, but it's been radio silence for nearly two years.
Quit Twitter: Jan. 2013, less than a week after joining
What Pushed Her Over the Edge: Fox wasn't upset by anything in particular; she just didn't see the point in tweeting. On Facebook (burn!), she wrote, ""Some of you may, or may not have noticed by now that my Twitter account has been shut down. I thought that 2013 might be the year I finally blossomed into a social networking butterfly… but as it turns out I still hate it. Love you guys but I can never be that girl. Facebook is as much as I can handle."
Could She Stay Away?: Yep! Her profile is still up, but it's been radio silence for nearly two years.
Zyan Malik
Quit Twitter: Aug. 2012
What Pushed Him Over the Edge: The One Direction singer quit Twitter after he says he received some abusive messages on the social network. Needless to say, his millions of fans were crushed.
Could He Stay Away?: Of course not. About 48 hours later, Malik got back on the Twitter horse, writing, "Sorry, I was getting some abuse on twitter but I dont want to let my fans down. So I am back!!" Crisis averted.
Quit Twitter: Aug. 2012
What Pushed Him Over the Edge: The One Direction singer quit Twitter after he says he received some abusive messages on the social network. Needless to say, his millions of fans were crushed.
Could He Stay Away?: Of course not. About 48 hours later, Malik got back on the Twitter horse, writing, "Sorry, I was getting some abuse on twitter but I dont want to let my fans down. So I am back!!" Crisis averted.
Keira Knightley
Quit Twitter: After creating a Twitter account under a fake name, she shut it down after just 12 hours.
What Pushed Her Over the Edge: Knightly told Harper's Bazaar that she once secretly joined Twitter under another name. "It made me feel a little bit like being in a school playground and not being popular and standing on the sidelines kind of going, 'Argh,'" she said.
Could She Stay Away?: We think so. We don't see her on there. Unless she's got a secret account under the name Ariek Yelthgink...
Quit Twitter: After creating a Twitter account under a fake name, she shut it down after just 12 hours.
What Pushed Her Over the Edge: Knightly told Harper's Bazaar that she once secretly joined Twitter under another name. "It made me feel a little bit like being in a school playground and not being popular and standing on the sidelines kind of going, 'Argh,'" she said.
Could She Stay Away?: We think so. We don't see her on there. Unless she's got a secret account under the name Ariek Yelthgink...
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