Elon Musk's claim that 'comedy is now legal on Twitter' has aged terribly

Just 24 hours after his $44bn (£38.2bn) Twitter takeover, Elon Musk declared "comedy is now legal" on the platform. Fast-forward to Sunday (November 6), the Tesla CEO is now threatening to permanently suspend users "engaging in impersonation".

The self-described "free speech absolutist" made his intentions clear over the weekend, tweeting: "Going forward, any Twitter handles engaging in impersonation without clearly specifying 'parody' will be permanently suspended,"

"Previously, we issued a warning before suspension, but now that we are rolling out widespread verification, there will be no warning. This will be clearly identified as a condition for signing up to Twitter Blue."

His Twitter announcement comes after several high-profile accounts took to the platform with jokes about Musk.

Former NFL punter Chris Kluwe changed his name, photo and bio to mirror Musk's, writing: "There is nothing better than waking up and enjoying a fresh, steaming cup of my own urine. Such a tangy way to start the day, and it's scientifically proven to help brain cells grow. If you want to be like me, drink your pee."

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Actor Rich Sommer also ripped into the richest man in the world, saying: "Okay, time to employ plan b since they're MAKING me keep twitter,"

"Does anyone know any advertisers who are, like, kind of 'into' racism NOT ACTUAL RACISTS!! just ad ppl who are, y'know, curious about what it's all about (racism)."

Meanwhile, cartoonist Jeph Jacques changed his profile photo to Musk's PayPal era.

"The remaining staff at twitter are actively bullying me now," he said. "Jed from accounting called me 'little baby b***hboy' to my face and nobody even said anything. I mean obviously I fired him and I'm having my goons break his wife's legs, but still. it hurts :(".

Musk also made clear that any verified accounts that change their names on the platform would result in a "temporary loss of verified checkmark."

Accounts like Kluwe's, Sommer's, and Jacques' were subsequently suspended for jokingly impersonating the Twitter owner.

According to Twitter's rules and policies on "parody, commentary, and fan account policy", "accounts must distinguish themselves in BOTH their account name and bio."

If they fail to do so, they could face profile modifications, or temporary/permanent suspension.

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