Usher Claims X Account Was ‘Hacked’, Not Deleted

Why did Usher delete his entire X (formerly Twitter) feed? Apparently, he didn’t, even though the topic was a hot topic of conversation on the social media platform on Sunday (September 22).

“My account got hacked and you ran with it!” Usher wrote on X at 6:13 p.m. ET Sunday, after comments and theories about him deleting his X history poured in. Old messages on his X account also resurfaced at the time. “See you tonight at the Intuit Dome.”

Just before Usher released the update, Billboard had contacted a representative for the singer for comment regarding his X account.

Usher, who mentioned the Intuit Dome in his update, will perform at the Los Angeles arena for the second night in a row on Sunday. The Usher: Past, Present, Future tour then heads to Oakland, California, before hitting cities in Texas, Florida and elsewhere.

Some X users posted messages Sunday questioning the timing of what appears to be a social media cleanup, in light of Usher’s professional relationship with music mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs, who was arrested last week on sex trafficking and racketeering charges. Usher worked with him from a young age; their history dates back to the singer’s 1994 debut album, which Combs executive produced.

“For decades, Sean Combs … abused, threatened, and coerced women and others around him to satisfy his sexual desires, protect his reputation, and cover up his conduct,” the documents obtained by Billboard. Combs, who has pleaded not guilty, was denied bail at his September 17 court appearance. If convicted of the charges, Combs faces a minimum sentence of 15 years in prison and a maximum sentence of life in prison.

Alongside Usher’s name, pop star P!nk was also trending on Sunday, and her X-rated feed also appeared to have been suddenly deleted. Billboard I reached out to a representative for P!nk, but had not received a response as of press time. Her X-rated posts/tweets had also not been retrieved at that time.