King of Comedy Elon Musk Is Hosting Saturday Night Live

Saturday Night Live announced that tech billionaire Elon Musk will host the iconic comedy series when the show returns from hiatus on May 8. The announcement was puzzling to many, as Musk is not known for having any comedy skills beyond owning himself on social media. Musk previously tried to launch his own online satire site Thud, which quickly crashed and burned.

Musk’s hosting gig is reminiscent of previous controversial hosts, including Donald Trump’s 2015 hosting gig that was critically reviled and despised by the cast members of the show. Trump’s appearance was, by all accounts, a brazen grab for ratings and headlines, which no doubt inspired Musk’s upcoming gig.

SNL has had non-entertainer hosts before, usually professional athletes and olympians. They’ve also dabbled in politics, with Al Gore, John McCain, Ralph Nader, and Jesse Jackson, among others. These appearances have had varying degrees of success, mostly based on the host’s willingness to make fun of themselves. But Musk may very well be the least self aware host of all time. I mean, this man is literally Space Karen.

And who is the target audience for Musk? Dogecoin enthusiasts and Joe Rogan fans? Nobody asked for this, but because Musk is wealthy beyond belief, it seems to be happening. This would be one thing if Musk were your garden variety douche, but he has proven time and time again to be a wildly irresponsible and dangerous individual.

The red pill enthusiast refused to close his Tesla plant in California when the pandemic began, endangering his own factory workers. Musk’s Tesla factories have also been called out for low wages, mandatory overtime, and dangerous working conditions. In addition, Musk tried to strongarm the state of California into reopening his factories mid-pandemic, threatening to move his facilities to Texas.

Musk has also used his massive platform to spread misinformation about the coronavirus and vaccines. He also promised that his factories would produce ventilators, but instead purchased BiPAP machines from China, which are not the same.

Oh, and let’s not forget that Thai soccer team rescue debacle, which ended with Musk’s Twitter rant where he called the REAL rescue team a bunch of pedophiles. Nothing but class.

Many took to Twitter to call out negative charisma Tony Stark and SNL:

Musk’s casting also inspired it’s own SNL meme:

Musk, for his part, seems to be enjoying the online outrage around his hosting:

Ugh, this episode is weeks away and I’m exhausted already.

(image: BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images)

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Chelsea Steiner

Chelsea was born and raised in New Orleans, which explains her affinity for cheesy grits and Britney Spears. An pop culture journalist since 2012, her work has appeared on Autostraddle, AfterEllen, and more. Her beats include queer popular culture, film, television, republican clownery, and the unwavering belief that 'The Long Kiss Goodnight' is the greatest movie ever made. She currently resides in sunny Los Angeles, with her husband, 2 sons, and one poorly behaved rescue dog. She is a former roller derby girl and a black belt in Judo, so she is not to be trifled with. She loves the word “Jewess” and wishes more people used it to describe her.

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