He’s sent rocket ships into space, revolutionized the auto industry, and wants to power the world with solar power: but judging from his first foray into comedy, Elon Musk shouldn’t give up the day jobs just yet.
Musk, 49, is hosting Saturday Night Live on May 8, a controversial decision that has prompted a huge backlash against the polarizing multi-billionaire.
After the announcement, cast members Bowen Yang and Aidy Bryant posted snarky Instagram Stories taking aim at Musk, who is worth an estimated $173 billion.
Undeterred, Musk spent Saturday tweeting cringeworthy suggestions for SNL skits he could take part in – and encouraging his legion of fans to suggest their own ideas.
‘Throwing out some skit ideas for SNL. What should I do?’ Musk asked.
‘Irony Man – defeats villains using the power of irony,’ Musk Tweeted.
‘Baby Shark & Shark Tank merge to form Baby Shark Tank,’ was another.
He also suggested ‘Woke James Bond’.
On their face, Musk’s Tweets suggest he may struggle to convert his eccentric social media personality into an effective player in the cauldron of live televised comedy.
However, Musk is well known for causing controversy with Tweets that are deliberately designed to wind people up.
Several Saturday Night Live cast members have aimed sly digs at Elon Musk in their Instagram stories, expressing annoyance that the Tesla CEO has been selected to host the show
‘Throwing out some skit ideas for SNL. What should I do?’ Musk asked his 52 million followers on Twitter
‘Irony Man – defeats villains using the power of irony’, was one joke he suggested
Musk, who has a reputation for his unfiltered Twitter feed, wrote: ‘Baby Shark & Shark Tank merge to form Baby Shark Tank’
Musk Tweeted: ‘Woke James Bond’. It was unclear if this was another idea for a joke
The Tweets provoked a wave of suggestions from Musk’s 52 million followers on Twitter.
One person suggested he do a skit on ‘The Dogefather’, a reference to the Dogecoin cryptocurrency whose price has soared since it was first championed by Musk.
Musk’s sprawling business empire includes Tesla, the electric car pioneers, SpaceX, which promises to colonize Mars, and believes he can build solar power capabilities to power the entire planet.
The serial entrepreneur, who has amassed a personal wealth of about $173 billion, has proved to be a controversial choice for host for the May 8 show.
There have been early signs of tension between the long-running show’s core cast members and Musk.
Musk has referred to himself as ‘The Dogefathger’: a reference to dogecoin cryptocurrency
One person suggested he take hard drugs with Joe Rogan, a reference to the time Musk smoked marijuana on the famous podcast
Musk signals his support for a skit on The Dogefather
Earlier this week, Musk, known for his unique banter on Twitter, tweeted: ‘Let’s find out how live Saturday Night Live really is.’
Yang posted the tweet on Stories with the response ‘what the f*** does this even mean’.
And hours after the hosting announcement, Bryant seemed to aim a subtle shot at Musk, the world’s second richest man, by posting an old quote from Senator Bernie Sanders calling it a ‘moral obscenity’ that the 50 richest people in America own more than the bottom half combined.
A source told that cast members would not be forced to appear with Musk if they didn’t want to.
‘Speaking historically, if a cast member has been that unhappy, they don’t have to do it,’ a source told
They said that Lorne Michaels, the boss of SNL, ‘won’t ever make them do anything they don’t want to do.’ No cast members have pulled out of the show yet, the paper said. Rehearsals will begin on Tuesday. The source added: ‘Whether you like him or not, Elon is a very interesting character. He’s very much a showman.’ SNL cast members have been told they will not be forced to appear alongside Musk if they don’t want to Bowen Yang posted Musk’s tweet on Stories with the response ‘what the f*** does this even mean’ after Musk tweeted: ‘Let’s find out how live Saturday Night Live really is’ Aidy Bryant seemed to aim a subtle shot at Musk, the world’s second richest man, by posting an old quote from Senator Bernie Sanders