Earlier this week, we told you about how Twitter’s new HBIC (that’s head boss in charge, for the sake of this post), Elon Musk, revealed plans to charge users $19.99 a month to sport the coveted blue check mark by their names via a Twitter Blue subscription—much to the disdain of, well, everyone. While Musk later announced he’d chop the price down to just eight dollars, the latest person to express their annoyance at his proposal was none other than The Daily Show host Trevor Noah, who broached the topic during Tuesday night’s episode.
Per Variety, the host questioned Musk’s motives for this plan, likening it not as an attempt at “equality” as the Tesla founder has been trying to position it to be, but rather a horrible money move that’s the complete opposite of everything he claims to stand for.
“Here’s my question: If you’re trying to create equality on Twitter, why charge anyone to be verified? Just give everyone a blue checkmark then,” Noah explained. “Why are you charging people? It doesn’t make sense to offer it as ‘equality’ and then put a price on it, do you get what I’m saying? Can you imagine if MLK was out there like, ‘I have a dream. I have a dream… and I’ll tell you all about it for $8.99 a month.’ It wouldn’t be the same thing.”
Noah then offered a hilariously sardonic alternative if the goal is to make money: charge white people to say “nigga.”
From The Daily Show:
“It’s all about ‘equality.’ No, you’re trying to make money. I get it. I think this $8 a month thing is ridiculous. If you ask me, if Elon Musk wants to make money from Twitter, what he should do [is], don’t charge people for blue checkmarks. Charge white people to say the N-word. Twitter will be the most profitable company in history. Racists will be taking out loans.”
This comment is of course a dig at recent reports that usage of the n-word spiked 500% in the 12 hours after Musk’s Twitter takeover deal was finalized.