The decision to tap Elon Musk as host of Saturday Night Live was a polarizing one.
During Musk’s monologue, he revealed he had Asperger’s syndrome, adding that he may be the first host to admit it. He talked about why he chooses to post or say strange things online, smoking weed on Joe Rogan’s podcast, his son’s name, and his love for SNL being live. He also brought his mother on stage to share a memory about the time he created his own video game at the age of 12.
NBC wanted to make sure his SNL appearance was accessible to everyone around the globe. The network announced the episode would be broadcasted via YouTube for international viewers as well.
Viewers compared his appearance to the time SNL attempted to humanize the persona of the widely despised Donald Trump in 2015. Even a few cast members have voiced their displeasure with Musk, including Aidy Bryant, who reposted a tweet from Bernie Sanders mentioning the disparity of wealth in America, while Bowen Yang criticized a remark made by the Tesla CEO on his Instagram Story.
According to Page Six, Lorne Michaels will invoke a long-standing rule where he doesn’t force a cast member to work with someone they’re opposed to. “Speaking historically, if a cast member has been that unhappy, they don’t have to do it,” a source said. “[SNL boss] Lorne Michaels won’t ever make them do anything they don’t want to do.”
However, Michael Che has embraced the pushback to Elon’s SNL appearance abd Pete Davidson apparently cannot understand where the controversy is coming from.
In the promos leading up to his hosting gig, Musk also jokingly embraced his public persona, vowing to be on his best behavior when the cameras are rolling, but also teasing that there’s no telling what he will do.
