During Mother’s Day weekend, Tesla CEO Elon Musk hosted Saturday Night Live (SNL). He participated in several sketches including the Trial of Wario, Gen-Z hospital, and Chad on Mars. Throughout the show, several satirical shots were taken at Musk. During the “Weekend Update,” Colin Jost mentioned that debris from a Chinese rocket had crashed into the Indian Ocean. He noted that “for once, we know it’s not Elon’s fault” and stated that the only reason Musk hosted was so he had an alibi. During his opening monologue, Musk took the opportunity to humanize himself and connect to the audience. He introduced his mother, expressed that people should stop expecting him to be “a chill, normal dude,” and most importantly, opened up about his diagnosis with Asperger syndrome. Asperger syndrome is on the autism spectrum and includes difficulty with social interaction, restricted interests, and distinctive strengths. He described himself as the first person with Asperger syndrome to host SNL, even though Dan Aykroyd is a former host and star who was diagnosed with Aspergers in the 1980s.
The reaction leading up to Musk’s hosting was also unique. Shortly after it was announced, several cast members took to social media to express their concerns about Musk hosting. Bowen Yang posted a frowny face to his Instagram story and Aidy Bryant reposted a tweet from Senator Bernie Sanders where he expressed that the 50 wealthiest people in America owning more than 165 million people was a moral obscenity. The timing of this show was also distinctive considering the headlines about Tesla in the past couple of weeks. Tesla reported record quarterly earnings in April, a team of four astronauts completed a nighttime splashdown in a SpaceX Dragon capsule, and a prototype of a SpaceX rocket successfully completed a test flight. However, Musk has also been mentioned in a negative light regarding SpaceX’s conflict with Boco Chica and Tesla’s autopilot scrutiny.