A Tower Gang podcaster known publicly as TopLobsta had his Twitter account reinstated after it was permanently suspended — only to be subsequently re-suspended within 12 hours.
On Monday evening, Twitter’s head of trust and safety Ella Irwin confirmed TopLobsta’s account was not permanently suspended for his joke suggesting Twitter owner Elon Musk should launch newly appointed CEO Linda Yaccarino into space.
The podcaster confirmed the tweet was a joke in reference to Musk’s work with SpaceX.
“We don’t yet consider launching someone into space to be an actual threat,” Irwin wrote. “The user was suspended for a different tweet and has appealed.”
After appealing his permanent suspension, Toplobsta told Timcast News he learned his account had been flagged regarding an April 2 joke-tweet calling for the return of public stoning.
Around 10 p.m. last night, TopLobsta noticed his Twitter account had been reinstated and tweeted “Elon Musk heard my cries!”
“Thanks for the support, yo,” the podcaster wrote in another tweet.
@elonmusk heard my cries. Thank you!
— TopLobsta (@TopLobsta) May 16, 2023
On Tuesday morning, the podcaster wrote a tweet thread expressing frustration and concerns regarding his account suspension asking for transparency regarding Twitter’s censorship policies.
“Why was I permanently suspended for a tweet that is a month and a half old?” TopLobsta asked in a now-deleted tweet which may have violated Twitter’s rules. “Why was I then reinstated under Twitter’s ‘new criteria’?”
“What is your ‘new criteria’?” he asked. “I’d like to not lose my account again.”
The podcaster provided a screenshot of his previous joke-tweet regarding Yaccarino in the first tweet of the thread.
TopLobsta also questioned if his joke-tweets had flagged his account for suspension, while also noting the engagement rate on his backup account appeared to be “equal to, if not greater than” his main account.
“Is there a certain way Twitter officials and Elon Musk want to see us tweet?” TopLobsta asked.
“Is there a place for offensive/edgy and truthful comedy on this platform or would you prefer the same cookie cutter milquetoast content that’s available on cable TV?” he asked.
6. Is there a certain way twitter officials and @elonmusk want to see us tweet?
7. Is there a place for offensive/edgy and truthful comedy on this platform or would you prefer the same cookie cutter milquetoast content that's available on cable TV?— TopLobsta (@TopLobsta) May 16, 2023
TopLobsta continued by asking why his advertising capabilities had been locked before Musk acquired the platform late last year.
“I run two growing businesses that reflect the values of my tweets,” he said, asking if Twitter’s Subscriber feature would be made available to himself along with fellow Tower Gang podcast members.
“Are we too offensive to make money on Twitter?”
“I’m asking these questions with all sincerity,” he concluded. “I love this platform and what Elon Musk has molded into so far.”
“I’d like to be a contributor on here for a long time, so your guidance would be priceless to me.”
I'm asking these questions with all sincerity. I love this platform and what @elonmusk has molded into so far. I'd like to be a contributor on here for a long time, so your guidance would be priceless to me.
Thank you!cc: @lindayacc @ellagirwin pic.twitter.com/uYIpqOfjWT
— TopLobsta (@TopLobsta) May 16, 2023
TopLobsta’s main account was re-suspended shortly after posting his morning thread. The podcaster confirmed the suspension from his backup account, saying, “I’m the most banned person on Twitter.”
“We need to talk to Elon Musk,” he wrote, sharing a screenshot confirming his account had been suspended for violating Twitter’s rules against “violent speech.”
I'm the most banned person on twitter.
We need to talk @elonmusk pic.twitter.com/RByidQVg6r— TopLobsta (@TopL0bsta) May 16, 2023
TopLobsta confirmed his latest suspension was triggered by the first tweet of his morning thread in which he shared a screenshot of the initial joke suggesting the new CEO be launched into space.
Following Musk’s announcement of Yaccarino’s appointment as Twitter’s new CEO, users began criticizing her professional history, which included serving as Executive Chair in the Klaus Schwab-founded World Economic Forum (WEF) since January 2019.
Similar to other users, TopLobsta made a series of tweets critical of Musk’s appointment, including one post saying, “the future of who runs Twitter is more important than the future of who runs America.”
He asked Musk, “Have you considered this?”
In an attempt to quell users’ concerns, Musk tweeted he and the newly appointed CEO would host a Twitter Spaces to field questions from users.
Tower Gang podcast describes itself as “the REAL most offensive comedy podcast on Earth!”
Editor’s Note: A previous version of this article claimed TopLobsta believed that his re-suspension was caused by his reposting of the initial joke-tweet regarding Twitter’s forthcoming CEO. The article has been revised to reflect that his belief has since been confirmed by Twitter.
