It’s official—no more TikTok. After weeks of whispers and speculation, the ban has finally landed, leaving 170 million U.S. users scrambling. Among those shaken by the news is NBA legend Dwight Howard, who’s been anything but quiet about the decision. Long before the hammer dropped, Howard made it clear he wasn’t ready to part with the platform. Now, with TikTok officially banned, he’s putting his thoughts out there, loud and clear.

Dwight Howard posted a playful video on Instagram, singing, “TikTok is getting banned in America,” with the energy of someone mourning and laughing at the same time. His caption? “@dawsonmofficial I told you man 😢🤣 now we gotta go overseas 🚀.” Dawson Myles, the fitness influencer, who was also present in that video, commented, “This messed up bro 😢,” echoing the sentiment of millions.

But Howard didn’t stop at one post. In another post, he upped the drama, jokingly crying over the ban and captioning, “Welp I gave TikTok everything I had 😭 add my snap though: Reeldeeldeebo12 👻.”

But Howard wasn’t all tears—he saw the humor and a winner in all this: Facebook’s CEO, $211.3 billion worth Mark Zuckerberg. “Zuck is one happy man right now we all going back to Facebook 🤣,” Howard wrote on X.

However, he is not the only billionaire who is dragging into this incident. Elon Musk was briefly rumored to buy TikTok’s U.S. operations. Musk, already a billionaire owning X, spent $44 billion acquiring it. However, TikTok’s present company ByteDance shut down the chatter, calling any buyout rumors “fiction.”

For Howard and millions like him, the focus now shifts to finding the next best thing.

Dwight Howard hunts for TikTok alternative

Just days before TikTok’s fate was sealed, Dwight Howard seemed ready to move on. He took to X to ask for fan’s opinions on possible alternatives. “Tiktok users going to remote or lemon8 👀,” the NBA legend wrote, clearly hinting at the brewing uncertainty. Whether it was about going remote or jumping onto another app, Howard seemed as curious as the millions affected by the ban.

And speaking of Lemon8, it’s a name many might not recognize—yet. The app has been gaining momentum for its unique style, blending Instagram’s social vibes with Pinterest’s niche-friendly focus. Howard, along with others, may just have his eyes on this up-and-comer.

For a platform created by ByteDance (TikTok’s parent company), Lemon8’s sudden popularity feels perfectly timed, offering creators a new playground that focuses on curated, community-based content.

But Lemon8 isn’t alone in this race. In the comments section of Howard’s post, another app stood out: Red Note. Also of Chinese origin, Red Note seems to be making waves as American users quickly download it. Whether it’s Lemon8, Red Note, or something else, one thing’s clear—Howard’s not sticking around to watch the dust settle.