Celebs Who Ditched Their Teslas To Stick It To Elon Musk & Trump

For a brief moment there, it seemed like Elon Musk's multi-million dollar investment in Donald Trump's presidential campaign had really paid off. The tech billionaire poured an eye-watering $290 million into the Republican politician's 2024 re-election campaign. However, Musk appeared to be reaping the fruits of his investment shortly after Trump's win in November since Tesla's stocks went up by 39% and took the company's market cap to over $1 trillion. That increase made him a whopping $70 billion richer, bringing his total net worth to an estimated $320 billion. 

Unfortunately for Musk, that bump turned out to be more of a blip because Tesla's stocks started dropping in 2025. According to CNBC, the automobile giant's stocks went down by 36% in the first quarter of the year, marking the company's poorest performance for any period since 2022. To make matters significantly more embarrassing, the plummet even led Tim Walz to make a brutal joke at Musk's expense. The electric vehicle manufacturer wasn't faring well with the public either since people started selling their Tesla shares and cars to protest his addition to the government. 

While speaking at a Wisconsin Town Hall, Musk admitted that the protesting had negatively impacted him personally, remarking, "What [the protesters are] trying to do is put massive pressure on me, and Tesla I guess, to you know, I don't know, stop doing this," per CBS News. He continued, "My Tesla stock and the stock of everyone who holds Tesla has gone, went roughly in half. I mean it's a big deal." Even celebrities couldn't help but join the movement and get rid of their Teslas in order to make it abundantly clear how they felt about the divisive businessman. 

In February 2025, Sheryl Crow took to Instagram to post a video of herself waving goodbye to her Tesla as "Time To Say Goodbye" played in the background. In the caption, the Grammy winner explained her reasoning for getting rid of her electric car, writing, "My parents always said... you are who you hang out with." She elaborated, "There comes a time when you have to decide who you are willing to align with. So long Tesla." Further, Crow donated the money she had earned from selling her car to NPR to protect it from "President Musk" and ensure that people had access to credible information. 

The "Soak Up The Sun" hitmaker was evidently referring to Musk's long-standing desire to defund National Public Radio. Notably, Crow had a rather amicable exchange with the tech billionaire on X, formerly known as Twitter, a couple of years before he shed his largely apolitical skin. In 2019, the country singer tweeted that she was stuck in a parking lot because her Tesla's screen had stopped functioning and required a fast solution short of getting rid of her car.

However, Musk himself responded to her tweet and personally offered a solution. Later, the singer-songwriter even suggested an improvement for Teslas, and he reassured her that it was noted. Since then, Crow hasn't had any public interactions with the SpaceX founder. However, it's obvious that she had no love for him or his BFF Donald Trump since the "A Change Would Do You Good" hitmaker proudly confirmed that she voted for Kamala Harris in the 2024 elections.

In April 2025, Bette Midler shared an Instagram post featuring the Tesla logo alongside a caption which read, "What a joyful day! I sold my (gulp) Tesla! No longer do I have to drive a symbol of racism, greed and ignorance! Life is suddenly so much better!!" Her decision came as no surprise to fans since the legendary performer has long been a vocal critic of both Musk and Donald Trump. In February 2025, the "Hocus Pocus" star shared another Instagram post directly criticizing the Tesla CEO for not putting his billions towards more philanthropic endeavors. Earlier that same month, she also supported Sheryl Crow's decision to get rid of her Tesla by reposting her video.

A few days after Musk's March 2025 Fox News interview, where he slammed Tesla protestors for lacking empathy, Midler shared an Instagram post featuring a quote from the tech billionaire criticizing the very concept of empathy. Underneath it was a quote from Hannah Arendt, which warned people that a prevailing culture with a lack of basic human empathy would tumble into barbarism in no time. 

Right before the 2024 elections rolled around, Midler took to X to share a photo of a bottle of champagne with a label on it that said "If Kamala wins" next to a Draino drain cleaner labeled "If Trump wins," per Newsweek. Needless to say the "Beaches" star wasn't too pleased when Trump clinched the win and deleted her X account shortly afterward. Notably, Musk isn't the only person in Trump's inner circle that Midler dislikes since she's also a celeb who seemingly can't stand Kimberly Guilfoyle. 

In March 2025, Arizona Senator Mark Kelly announced on X that he was getting rid of his Tesla despite initially enjoying his experience with the electric car. In the clip, the Democratic politician confessed, "Every time I get in this car in the last 60 days or so, it reminds me of just how much damage Elon Musk and Donald Trump is doing to our country talking about slashing social security, cutting healthcare benefits for poor people, for seniors." Further, the veteran made it clear that he disagreed with Musk's decision to fire thousands of veterans. 

A few days beforehand, Kelly butted heads with Musk after he shared an X post detailing his experiences from his Ukraine visit. The SpaceX founder dubbed him a "traitor" and, in response, the senator defended himself by stating that he was staying true to American core values and trying to protect freedom with his initial post. Then, during an appearance on "CBS Mornings," Kelly pointed out that the tech billionaire was "not a serious guy" and further criticized him for taking away people's livelihoods in his attempts to reduce government spending. 

Later, the outspoken politician took to X once again to announce that he had purchased a Chevy Tahoe SUV. Kelly also got in a slight dig at Musk as he gushed that the car was made by unionized workers under UAW. Over the years, the Tesla CEO has taken shots at the UAW and staunchly opposed his workers unionizing.

During an October 2024 episode of Jason Bateman's podcast "SmartLess," the actor proudly informed guest Tim Walz that he wasn't a Tesla owner anymore. "I feel like I'm driving around a Trump sticker with that car, so it's gone," the "Arrested Development" star explained at the time. Although Bateman hasn't had anything negative to say about Elon Musk in the past, at least publicly, it didn't seem like he had much love for his BFF Donald Trump's administration since the actor supported Kamala Harris' campaign. Of course, Bateman isn't the only famous podcast host who sought to rid himself of the electric vehicle because of Musk's controversial political stances. 

During a March 2025 episode of "The Zach Sang Show," the host noted that he was in the market for a new car, clarifying simply, "People don't like that I drive a Tesla, and I don't like it either because the guy's not a great guy." However, the podcaster also acknowledged that he had a hard time getting rid of the car because tons of other people had gone to dealerships with the same request and they were unable to accept any more Teslas. 

Meanwhile, in a February 2025 tweet, Sang quoted a video of Musk speaking to reporters in The Oval Office and wrote that it was "terrifying to witness and embarrassing to support by driving my car." A few days later, he tweeted that someone had labeled him a "Nazi" after spotting him driving around in his Tesla. Later, in March, Sang tweeted that he felt uncomfortable driving in his car because he could feel people's eyes boring down on him.

In a March 2025 blog post, angel investor Joanne Wilson detailed that she had got rid of the Tesla she had owned since 2014. The Gotham founder explained her reasoning for the decision, writing, "Was it Elon's complete disregard for human beings as he attempts to completely disrupt the federal government like a classic tech dude without a proper understanding of how government works, or was it that awful new cyber truck that looks like something out of Mad Max and looks angry? It is a toss-up." 

The entrepreneur added more salt to the divisive businessman's wounds by sharing that she had traded her Tesla for a brand-new Volvo electric car and only received $2,000 in exchange. Further, Wilson subtly shaded Musk for not having the entrepreneurial foresight to realize that his controversial political alliances wouldn't sit well with his core customer base. She concluded her post by revealing that she still had one Tesla left in her garage, but had zero intention of keeping it. In fact, the angel investor quipped that she might just place the electric vehicle outside of Gotham headquarters and let protestors use sledgehammers on it to get their anger out. 

At the end of the day, though, celebrities are not the only ones desperate to get rid of their Teslas. Although many regular people share the same sentiment, it understandably isn't feasible for them to offload their expensive EVs for a fraction of what they paid. However, ordinary owners have started making their dislike for their cars clear with cheeky bumper stickers calling Musk out.