Valerie Bertinelli Changes Name To ‘Elon Musk’ On Twitter & Is Applauded For Retweeting Democratic Candidates

In a protest to Elon selling blue check Twitter verification for $8, Valerie Bertinelli had fans cheering on the move, as some said the actress is 'saving democracy.'

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November 6, 2022 11:17AM EST
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Valerie Bertinelli 46th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards, Arrivals, Pasadena Civic Auditorium, Los Angeles, USA - 05 May 2019
Valerie Bertinelli attends the 'Barilla's Italian Bites' event at the South Beach Wine & Food Festival on in Miami Beach, Fla 2017 South Beach Wine and Food Festival, Miami, USA - 23 Feb 2017
This photo shows Wolfgang Van Halen and his mother actress Valerie Bertinelli at Bertinelli's star ceremony on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in Hollywood section of Los Angeles People Valerie Bertinelli, Los Angeles, USA
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Valerie Bertinelli had fans applauding as she changed her name on Twitter to “Elon Musk” in a subtle protest against his new subscription-based verification on the platform. In what some called a “master class in trolling,” the famous sitcom actress, 62, slammed the $8 pay-for-a-blue-check plan and began retweeting support for Democratic candidates ahead of next week’s midterms… all while impersonating the billionaire on Twitter. Elon, who purchased the app in October, said earlier this year that he would be voting Republican for the first time, per Independent.

The “One Day at a Time” alum, whose Twitter handle “Wolfiesmom” is a nod to her son Wolfie Van Halen, whom she shared with the late guitarist Eddie Van Han Halen, tweeted on Friday, Oct. 5, “The blue checkmark simply meant your identity was verified. Scammers would have a harder time impersonating you. That no longer applies. Good luck out there!” When a follower asked how “it no longer applies,” she answered, “You can buy a blue check mark for $7.99 a month without verifying who you are.”

From then on out, Valerie was on fire with her fingers, retweeting support for Democratic candidates like Beto O’Rourke, John Fetterman, Raphael Warnock, and Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer. The star also tweeted such messages as “Save Social Security#VoteBlueToProtectYourRights” and “#VoteBlueToProtectWomen #VoteBlueForDemocracy #VoteBlueIn2022 #VoteBlueForSoManyReasons.”

The move was cheered on by the Twitter masses, as one wrote, “Valerie Bertinelli changing her name to Elon Musk while proving a point is crafty indeed,” as another posted, “I have always said Valerie Bertinelli would save democracy.” Yet another fan summed it up by sharing, “I didn’t know Valerie Bertinelli was such a bad ass”

Valerie wasn’t the only Twitter user to change their name to “Elon Musk” in protest of the new verification subscription. Roswell star Brendan Fehr also impersonated the Tesla owner and tweeted, “Is Elon Musk as worried that all his tweets are from ‘Elon Musk’ as I am? I mean, even my good ones.”

Keep reading for more reactions to Valerie’s “masterful troll” below: