TikTok faces a possible ban in the coming days, but that did not stop one notable new user from joining the app this week: Bob Dylan.
A verified account for the legendary singer-songwriter, Nobel Prize-winner and current subject of a Hollywood biopic appeared on the app this week with a 50-second video montage featuring excerpts from “Like a Rolling Stone,” “Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door” and “Hurricane.”
Fans were pleased, but surprised to see Dylan show up on what could be the app’s final days, given that a law requires TikTok’s owner, the Chinese company ByteDance, to either sell the app by Sunday or face a ban. “You’ve got 30 seconds king,” one commenter said, receiving more than 9,000 likes. Another said: “bob tiktok is knocking on heaven’s door.”
Dylan, appearing to get in on the joke, posted a second video on Thursday. This time he posted a six-second black-and-white clip of himself appearing at a news conference in the 1960s and saying, “Good God, I must leave right away.”
Dylan is currently having a moment in Hollywood thanks in part to “‘A Complete Unknown,” a biopic starring Timothée Chalamet. He has been known to dabble in social media. He joined X, then called Twitter, in 2009, and sometimes shares his random thoughts, reactions to news, or promotional materials. There is also an official Dylan Instagram account, on which he posts clips from his extended career and other memorabilia.
His arrival to TikTok in its possible 11th hour has sparked joy in some fans, with at least one commenter calling on him to save the app.
TikTok appeared before the Supreme Court last week challenging the law forcing a sale or ban, which was signed by President Biden in April because of concerns that the Chinese government could manipulate its content to gain access to user data. There are more than 170 million users in the United States. But President-elect Donald J. Trump is said to be considering an executive order that could allow the app to continue operating.
Even if the app is officially banned by Sunday, it is unlikely to immediately disappear, giving Dylan’s fans more time to enjoy his content, should he continue to post.
