Bob Saget's Wife Asks Elon Musk To Return Late Husband's Verified Status

Kelly Rizzo, the wife of the late comedian Bob Saget, has asked Elon Musk for a Twitter-related favor on the anniversary of her husband's death.

Saget died on January 9, 2022 in his Florida hotel room while touring. His sudden death at the age of 65 shocked the comedy world, with a number of celebrities and comedians paying tribute.

TV host, actor and America's dad Saget was a popular figure on social media too, with over 2.2 million followers on Twitter. Hoping to commemorate his love for the platform, Saget's widow Rizzo asked the new owner of Twitter if he could help honor his memory.

Bob Saget, Kelly Rizzo, Elon Musk
Bob Saget posing with wife Kelly Rizzo a month before his death in December 9, 2021. Rizzo has asked Elon Musk (inset) to reinstate his verified Twitter symbol in memory of the comedian a year... JC Olivera / Carina Johansen/WireImage / Getty Images

"Hi [Elon Musk]—today on the 1 year anniversary of Bob's passing, I saw he's no longer verified? My husband truly loved Twitter. Out of respect for his legacy, can something be done? Thank you kindly," Rizzo wrote.

Rizzo is an actress, producer, lifestyle blogger and TV host in her own right. She currently fronts the online series Eat, Travel, Rock TV.

She continued, "And the only reason I'm addressing this at all is because I know Bob would be very bummed about this. He'd say 'hey, if someone goes to see my page and all the jokes I've tweeted over the years, how will they know it's for sure me!?'"

Rizzo tweeted this on Monday, the anniversary of Saget's death. Musk has yet to respond to her request, though other famous names responded to offer their support.

Actor and comedian Seth Green responded with the hashtag "#BobSagetImmortal." Podcast host and businessman Jason Calacanis wrote, "A true legend, a huge loss," and also suggested Twitter introduce a memorial feature for accounts.

Craig Thomas, co-creator of How I Met Your Mother, a sitcom which Saget worked on for nine seasons, also offered his support to Rizzo. "Thinking of Bob today, Kelly, sending good thoughts in his memory from the whole HIMYM Team," he wrote.

According to Twitter's help center, there are a number of ways in which an account can lose its verified status, as Saget once had on his. In the comedian's case, he lost his blue check mark next to his name most likely because the account became "inactive or incomplete."

Unless Twitter make an exception for Saget's account, it is unlikely the verification mark will return. Accounts can still get the blue check mark by paying $11 a month for the controversial Twitter Blue.

Rizzo also discussed the loss of her husband on an episode of The Kelly Clarkson Show on January 3, 2023.

"He was a force of nature," she said of her husband before explaining how she's coping. "I'm doing okay, all things considered. It is a journey. I've just been completely focused on gratitude, and being grateful for the time that we had together, versus being upset that we didn't have more time.

"Bob lived a thousand lifetimes in his 65 years. He truly changed the world, and he made it a better place, and he made an impact, and that's all you can really ask for in life, right? It makes me at peace with it," Rizzo said.

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Jamie Burton is a Newsweek Senior TV and Film Reporter (Interviews) based in London, U.K. His focus is reporting on ... Read more

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