Jonah Hill quits social media, following Tom Holland, Aamir Khan, Elon Musk and others

High-profile stars warn of 'unsurvivable' abuse and 'hate' they face online

• 

  Jonah Hill is the latest celebrity to quit social media after battling anxiety attacks for more than 20 years. AP

• 

  'Spider-Man' actor Tom Holland said he was taking a break from social media for his mental health. 'I find Instagram and Twitter to be overstimulating, to be overwhelming,' he said. Reuters

• 

  Alec Baldwin deleted his verified Twitter accounts days after an ABC interview about the death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. While the accounts have since returned, they are set to private. AP

• 

  Bollywood star Aamir Khan said he has 'decided to drop the pretence' and quit social media in March 2021. AFP

• 

  Pamela Anderson announced in January 2021 that she was 'free' from social media, choosing instead to be 'inspired by reading and being in nature'. Getty Images

• 

  In January 2021, it was reported that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have no plans to return to social media after facing 'hate' on online platforms as senior royals. AP

• 

  US Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez quit Facebook in 2019, saying that 'social media poses a public health risk to everybody'. She is however active on Twitter and Instagram where she has a massive following. AFP

• 

  'Black Panther' Letitia Wright quit Instagram and Twitter in 2020 after questioning Covid-19 vaccines and backing anti-vaxxer views. She returned to Instagram in October 2021. AP Photo

• 

  Tech billionaire Elon Musk quit Instagram following an apparent run-in with rapper Azealia Banks in 2018. EPA

• 

  Trolls forced Lizzo to quit Twitter in January 2020. 'Yeah I can’t do this ... too many trolls. I’ll be back when I feel like it.' She has since returned to the platform. Reuters

• 

  'Star Wars' actress Daisy Ridley quit social media after facing anti-gun backlash in 2016. She has since returned to Instagram but is not on Twitter. AP

Actor and comedian Jonah Hill is the latest celebrity to bid goodbye to social media.

Hill, known for roles in films such as The Wolf of Wall Street and Don’t Look Up, told Deadline on Wednesday that he was going to take a break from promoting his films. His social media accounts disappeared soon after.

Hill, 38, is directing a documentary called Stutz, which explores mental health issues and will be released this year.

"Through this journey of self-discovery within the film, I have come to the understanding that I have spent nearly 20 years experiencing anxiety attacks, which are exacerbated by media appearances and public facing events," he wrote in a letter.

“I am so grateful that the film will make its world premiere at a prestigious film festival this fall, and I can’t wait to share it with audiences around the world in the hope that it will help those struggling. However, you won’t see me out there promoting this film, or any of my upcoming films, while I take this important step to protect myself.

"If I made myself sicker by going out there and promoting it, I wouldn’t be acting true to myself or to the film."

Hill said he hopes his film will "make it more normal for people to talk and act on this stuff", as well as spread awareness about the issue.

However, Hill is not the first star to step back from social media, here are 10 other famous faces who have followed suit in the past.

1. Tom Holland takes social media break for mental health

Last Sunday, the Spider-Man actor returned to Instagram after a month to explain to his 67.9 million followers why he's taking a break from social media.

"I find Instagram and Twitter to be overstimulating, to be overwhelming," he said in a video. "I get caught up and I spiral when I read things about me online, and ultimately it’s very detrimental to my mental state. So I decided to take a step back and delete the app."

In the three-minute video, the actor also spoke about mental health group Stem4 that his charity, The Brothers Trust, is supporting. Stem4 is also a charity and offers free apps to help support teenagers.

"There is an awful stigma against mental health, and I know that asking for help and seeking help isn't something that we should be ashamed of, but it is something that is much easier said than done," he said. "Hopefully these apps can be your first step towards being happier and healthier."

In an accompanying post, Holland urged his followers to "share it with anyone who it may resonate with".

"Let’s get talking about mental health," he said.

2. Alec Baldwin deletes Twitter account

Alec Baldwin and Hilaria Baldwin at the 69th Primetime Emmy Awards in Los Angeles in 2017. AP

In December 2021, Alec Baldwin deleted one of his two verified accounts on Twitter, days after an interview in which he talked about a fatal shooting on the set of his film Rust.

The verified account @alecbaldwin, which was used when the actor, 64, released a statement following the on-set incident that resulted in the death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, disappeared for a few months. The account has since reappeared, but is set to private.

Other Twitter accounts associated with Baldwin have also gone dark or been set to private, including @alecbaldwin__. However, he is active on Instagram.

3. Aamir Khan quits Instagram after 56th birthday

Bollywood star Aamir Khan has quit social media. Shutterstock

In March 2021, Bollywood actor Aamir Khan announced that he was quitting social media after making a post on Instagram the day after his 56th birthday on March 14. A day later, his account was closed and the post was no longer available.

The actor, who stars opposite Kareena Kapoor Khan in Laal Singh Chaddha, was an intermittent social media user, but said he had "decided to drop the pretence" and quit.

"Hey guys, thank you so much for all the love and warmth on my birthday. My heart is full. In other news, this is going to be my last post on social media. Considering that I am SO active anyway, I have decided to drop the pretence," Khan wrote.

He said: "We will continue to communicate as we did before. In addition, Aamir Khan Productions (AKP) has created its official channel. So, future updates on me and my films can be found there ... Lots of love."

4. Pamela Anderson 'free' from social media

Pamela Anderson quit social media in January 2021. Reuters

In January 2021, Pamela Anderson made a social media statement, announcing that she was quitting her digital platforms.

"I am free," the Canadian-American model and actress wrote, accompanying a photo of herself, which looks to be from her 1990s modelling heyday.

"This will be my last post on Instagram, Twitter or Facebook," Anderson, 55, explained. "I’ve never been interested in social media and now that I'm settled into the life I'm genuinely inspired by reading and being in nature."

Anderson's message continued: "Thanks for the love, blessings to you all. Lets hope you find the strength and inspiration to follow your purpose and try not to be seduced by wasted time.

"That's what they want and can use to make money [and] control over your brain."

On Twitter, the vocal Julian Assange supporter simply wrote, “Goodbye social media”, and linked to her Instagram post.

In the days leading up to the announcement of her departure, Anderson had posted on Instagram daily, with various motivational quotes, captions promoting veganism and throwback photos.

She returned to Instagram in March to promote a coming Netflix documentary about her life.

"Not a victim, but a survivor. Alive to tell the real story," Anderson posted in handwritten note.

The documentary comes after the release of the Emmy-nomonated Hulu series Pam & Tommy, a supposed retelling of her tumultuous marriage to rocker Tommy Lee.

5. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex after facing 'unsurvivable hate'

Prince Harry and his wife Meghan have not posted on their official Instagram account since March 2020. AP

In January 2021, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex were reported to have quit social media.

The couple, who grew a sizeable following on Instagram with their official @sussexroyal account, are said to have become disillusioned by the “hate” they encountered online.

They have not posted on their official account since March 2020.

When they stepped down as senior royals in March 2020, they wrote a final post on Instagram, which suggested they may return to the platform.

"While you may not see us here, the work continues," they wrote. "Thank you to this community, for the support, the inspiration and the shared commitment to the good in the world. We look forward to reconnecting with you soon."

However, it's since been reported that they have no plans to use social media to promote their charity organisation, Archewell, and were very unlikely to return to the sites in a personal capacity.

Before reaching global fame as a royal, Meghan, Duchess of Sussex starred in TV show Suits and also ran The Tig, a lifestyle blog, whose accompanying Instagram page had three million followers when it closed in January 2018 before her May 2018 marriage to Prince Harry.

The Duchess has spoken about the toll online abuse took on her in the past. She appeared on the Teenager Therapy podcast in October 2020, where she said: "I'm told that in 2019 I was the most trolled person in the entire world, male or female. Now, eight months of that I wasn't even visible, I was on maternity leave or with a baby.

"But what was able to just be manufactured and churned out, it’s almost unsurvivable, that’s so big, you can’t think of what that feels like, because I don’t care if you’re 15 or 25, if people are saying things about you that aren’t true, what that does to your mental and emotional health is so damaging."

6. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez quit Facebook in 2019

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez 'limits' her use of social media. AP

American politician Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez told Yahoo News podcast Skullduggery that she had quit Facebook and limits her time on Instagram and Twitter in 2019.

"I personally gave up Facebook, which was kind of a big deal because I started my campaign on Facebook and Facebook was my primary digital organising tool for a very long time," the US Representative, known as AOC, said. "I gave up on it. We still sort of have accounts on it."

She added that "social media poses a public health risk to everybody".

As a US Representative, she has an official Facebook page which is run by her staff, as the About section makes clear: "Rep Ocasio-Cortez's Congressional staff uses this page to share news and services relevant to NY-14. This is not her campaign Facebook."

She is however still very active on Twitter, where she has more than 13.2 million followers, and Instagram, with more than 8.6 million followers.

7. Letitia Wright quit after questioning Covid-19 vaccines

Letitia Wright quit social media after facing backlash for linking to a video with 'anti-vaxxer' views. She has since returned to Instagram. AP

In December 2020, Black Panther star Letitia Wright linked to a 69-minute On The Table YouTube video on Twitter, which questioned the Covid-19 vaccine and backed anti-vaxxer views. The video has since been removed from YouTube.

The actress received backlash for posting the video and deleted her Twitter and Instagram accounts.

However, before doing so, she attempted to defend herself, writing: "My intention was not to hurt anyone, my only intention of posting the video was it raised my concerns with what the vaccine contains and what we are putting in our bodies … Nothing else."

She also wrote: “If you don’t conform to popular opinions but ask questions and think for yourself you get cancelled.”

Her fellow Marvel star, Don Cheadle, described the claims in the video as "hot garbage", writing: "I would never defend anybody posting this, but I still won't throw her away over it."

Wright returned to Instagram in October 2021, posting a verse from the Bible that read: "Weapons made to attack you won't be successful."

8. Elon Musk quit Instagram following apparent run-in with Azealia Banks

Tesla chief executive Elon Musk left Instagram after a run-in with rapper Azealia Banks. AFP

The details on technology billionaire Elon Musk's run-in with rapper Azealia Banks are murky at best. However, following a brief feud on Instagram, Musk quit the platform, and his eight-million-strong following, for good in August 2018.

Banks claims she saw Musk "scrounging for investors" at a party, even though he had recently said Tesla had "funding secured" on Twitter.

She later tagged Musk in a series of Instagram Stories. In wrote, she wrote: "You need to contact me ASAP." In another, she said: "I need my phone back now."

Musk's representatives distanced the entrepreneur from the story, saying: "Elon doesn’t know Azealia Banks. He doesn’t have her phone and neither do his lawyers."

By the end of August, Musk had deleted his Instagram page and has yet to return to the platform. He does, however, regularly tweet.

9. Trolls forced Lizzo to quit Twitter

Lizzo quit Twitter in January 2020, blaming trolls. EPA

"Haters" ensured that Truth Hurts singer Lizzo deleted her Twitter page. The famously outspoken singer had a track record of clapping back at critics, but it became too much for her in January 2020.

"Yeah I can’t do this ... too many trolls," she wrote. "I’ll be back when I feel like it."

She has since returned to the platform.

10. Daisy Ridley quit social media after facing anti-gun backlash

Daisy Ridley as Rey in 'Star Wars: Episode VIII — The Last Jedi'. AP

In 2016, Star Wars actress Daisy Ridley quit social media altogether after a post about gun violence faced backlash.

Following the 2016 Teen Choice Awards, and an in-show tribute to victims of a number of US mass shootings, the British actress wrote on Instagram and Facebook: "Thinking about how lucky I am like ... Serious bit: as I sat in the audience yesterday tears were streaming down my face at the tribute to those that have been lost to gun violence. I didn't get a great picture of the incredible group that came on stage but they were so brave. It was a true moment of togetherness. We must ‪#‎stoptheviolence‬."

However, the post angered followers, who slammed her for showing an "utter lack of research". Others criticised her hypocrisy, saying she "kills people with guns in movies".

In 2019, Ridley described social media as "dangerous", joking that her accounts had been "cut off like a Skywalker limb".

She has since returned to Instagram, but is not on Twitter.

— A version of this story was first published on December 6, 2021