Heavy/Getty Tom Bergeron.
Tom Bergeron quit Twitter eight months ago, but that’s not stopping him from commenting on the social media platform’s latest change under the “regime” of owner Elon Musk.
On July 24, 2023, the former “Dancing With the Stars” host made his feelings known about Musk’s rebranding of the Twitter platform as X – and he compared it to a failed soft drink launch that took place nearly 40 years ago.
Here’s what you need to know:
Tom Bergeron Joked That X is Like ‘New Coke’
In a post on his Instagram account, Bergeron reshared Musk’s photo of the new X logo projected onto his company’s headquarters. “Anyone thirsty for “New Coke?” 🙄🤣,” the former ABC host cracked.
Bergeron also shared the photo on his Threads account. “Another example of why @threadsapp hit 100 million downloads so quickly. Musk presents the latest incarnation of “New Coke.” 🙄😆,” Bergeron wrote.
Fans reacted to Bergeron’s comparison of X to Coke. “ Then I guess his ‘New Coke’ will crash and burn like the original, and he’ll have to revert back!” one fan wrote on Threads.
“Savage takedown! 🙌🔥🙌 😂,” another wrote to Bergeron on Instagram.
Others called the Twitter change “creepy” and accused Musk of being the “thirsty” one.
As for Bergeron’s soft drink comparison, that is indeed a diss. According to Time, in April 1985, the Coca-Cola Company reformulated its 99-year-old recipe and it was an epic fail. After thousands of outraged, diehard soda drinkers complained about the sweeter substitute, the original formula was returned in record time.
The marketing blunder and firestorm took place over a 79-day period, per the Coca-Cola website, and the original Coca-Cola formula quickly returned to store shelves. The new Coke was briefly changed to “Coke II” before being phased out completely.
Tom Bergeron Quit Twitter Long Before it Changed to X
Only time will tell if Twitter’s switch to X will be a hit or a miss. According to Variety, the social media change was heavily teased by Musk and new CEO Linda Yaccarino a few days before the X logo launch.
“And soon we shall bid adieu to the twitter brand and, gradually, all the birds,” Musk teased just before the X replaced the platform’s signature blue bird.
“It’s an exceptionally rare thing – in life or in business – that you get a second chance to make another big impression,” Yaccarino wrote on July 23. “Twitter made one massive impression and changed the way we communicate. Now, X will go further, transforming the global town square.”
Yaccarino also teased that “X is the future state of unlimited interactivity” and will be “centered in audio, video, messaging, payments/banking – creating a global marketplace for ideas, goods, services, and opportunities.”
In November 2022, Bergeron and many other celebrities deleted their Twitter accounts due to changes made under Musk’s ownership. The business mogul acquired Twitter in October for $44 billion, according to the New York Times.
In November 2022, Bergeron shared his final tweet on his Instagram page. “That’s my ‘I just quit @twitter’ face 😏,” he captioned a throwback photo of himself. “Or, as I stated in my final tweet (with apologies to Groucho Marx), ‘Hello, I Musk be going.'”
He also credited actress Valerie Bertinelli for showing how easy it will be to impersonate a “verified” account under Musk’s “regime,” which offered anyone the opportunity to buy verification and boast the signature blue checkmark next to their handle.
“You can buy a blue check mark for $7.99 a month without verifying who you are,” Bertinelli wrote in November 2022. “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!”
In July 2023, Bertinelli replied to one of Yaccarino’s X announcements with a photo of a sinking Titanic.
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