Bob Saget’s widow, Kelly Rizzo, asks Elon Musk where his blue tick went

Today, January 9, 2023, it’s been a year since we lost Bob Saget, who died in a Florida hotel room last year from complications from blunt head trauma. But while friends, family and fans remember the beloved comedian, his widow Kelly Rizzo would also like to know where her late husband’s Twitter blue tick went.

On the anniversary of her husband’s death, Rizzo went straight to the platform’s new owner, Elon Musk, to ask exactly what the deal is.

“Hi [Elon Musk] — Today, on the 1st anniversary of Bob’s death, I saw that he is no longer verified? My husband really loved Twitter,” she tweeted to Musk. “Is there anything that can be done out of respect for his legacy? Thank you (friends please help).”

In a follow-up tweet, Rizzo noted that the only reason she asked was because she knew Saget would be disappointed when he learned his blue tick had been lost. “He’d be like, ‘Hey, if someone sees my page and all the jokes I’ve tweeted over the years, how are they supposed to know it’s me?!'” she added.

And the only reason I’m even bringing this up is because I know that Bob would be very disappointed. He’d say, “Hey, if someone sees my page and all the jokes I’ve tweeted over the years, how are they supposed to know it’s me!?”

— Kelly Rizzo (@EatTravelRock) January 9, 2023

Since acquiring Twitter last year, Musk has made his feelings toward the verified blue tick clear.

What was introduced as a feature to distinguish public figures from copycats and trolls (and to deter lawsuits) has for some reason become the bane of Musk’s existence. Instead, the 51-year-old keeps threatening to ditch old ticks in favor of his “Twitter Blue” system, which charges users $8 a month for the honor of having a blue tick next to their name.

But…would the SpaceX founder really be petty enough to de-identify deceased users? Indeed it seems so. A quick search of celebs who have died in the past year suggests so Barbara Walters, Leslie Jordan, Anne Hecheand Aaron Carter all no longer have verified accounts. (Coolioother hand is still verified at the time of this writing.)

Of all Musk’s confusing choices, this one certainly seems to stand out. In addition to the pain it can cause surviving families to see their loved ones no longer verified on Twitter, the potential for other repercussions is significant. Just because someone died doesn’t mean they can’t still be played by bad actors, which could cause even more needless suffering for the mourners.

It’s just amazingly poor form and hopefully Rizzo speaking up will bring back Saget and others checkmarks.