Chrissy Teigen has finally had enough. The model, TV host, cookbook author and voracious social media user has decided to leave Twitter after a decade.
"For over 10 years, you guys have been my world. I honestly owe so much to this world we have created here. I truly consider so many of you my actual friends," Teigen posted on Wednesday evening.
"But it's time for me to say goodbye. This no longer serves me as positively as it serves me negatively, and I think that's the right time to call something.
“I've always been portrayed as the strong clap back girl but I'm just not,” she continued. “My desire to be liked and fear of pissing people off has made me somebody you didn't sign up for, and a different human than I started out here as! Live well, tweeters.”
Teigen, one of the most entertaining and outspoken celebrities on Twitter, has been known for confronting her detractors.
She said she has been "deeply bruised" over the years and encouraged social media users "to know and never forget that your words matter.”
"I have made my mistakes, throughout the years and in front of hundreds of thousands, and been held accountable for them. I've learned an incredible amount here,” she said.
"But one thing I haven't learned is how to block out the negativity. But I love you guys and I cherish our time together, I truly do. I also hate you.”
Teigen, who had more than 13 million followers, then deactivated her account.
Why did Chrissy Teigen leave Twitter?
It’s not clear what pushed Teigen over the edge, but earlier this week, she faced a backlash after announcing the launch of a line of plant-based cleaning products, in partnership with Kardashian matriarch Kris Jenner.
Some users accused her of "selling out" during a time of pandemic-induced economic anxiety, while others questioned her commitment to environmental protection, given her family's regular use of private jets.
Still, her exit from the platform left many of her fans shocked, but supportive.
“Also, once I was at a party and I was a loner and felt so out of place. One of the only people who made me feel comfortable was Chrissy Teigen. She joked with me. She was warm towards me. She made me feel seen. Twitter ain't it. Try real life,” comedian and TV host Lilly Singh tweeted.
The Handmaid's Tale actress Ever Carradine said she would miss her "funny, smart fearless voice".
“Take care of yourself and we’ll all be here if you choose to come back,” she posted.
Teigen is known for her strong political stance along with her husband and singer John Legend. Over the past two years, she has been involved in a number of high-profile dust-ups online.
In 2019, she fought for her name to be cleared after QAnon conspiracy theorists circulated a doctored image that placed her and Legend at the infamous island getaway of now-deceased billionaire and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
In 2020, she and The New York Times food columnist Alison Roman had a public exchange after Roman accused Teigen of using her celebrity to profit off her cookbooks. Roman later apologised.
Teigen also took a hiatus from all social media last autumn after she suffered a pregnancy loss, which she actively shared on social media, but returned in late October.
In January this year, she publicly asked the official account of US President Joe Biden to follow her on Twitter, after she was blocked by former president Donald Trump, of whom she was a fierce critic. She was followed by Biden but later requested to be unfollowed because it made her feel less able to “flourish”. Biden granted her wish prompting Teigen to tweet “I am free!!”
A Twitter account belonging to her Cravings by Chrissy Teigen website and cookware brand, still exists. So do her accounts on Instagram as well as TikTok.
