Elon Musk Leans On Elon-isms As 'Saturday Night Live' Host

As first-time SNL host, tech magnate Elon Musk played himself in a pre-taped sketch. Liesa Johannssen-Koppitz/Bloomberg via Getty Images hide caption
As first-time SNL host, tech magnate Elon Musk played himself in a pre-taped sketch.
Liesa Johannssen-Koppitz/Bloomberg via Getty ImagesTech billionaire Elon Musk hosted Saturday Night Live this weekend, in a debut performance that drummed up a lot of reaction before his big night even began.
As the night unfolded, Musk, CEO of electric carmaker Tesla and chief engineer of SpaceX, played a range of characters, including: a doctor at a Gen Z hospital, a priest and self-confessed murderer in a Mare of Easttown parody, an anti-social party guest in a post-pandemic world β and, naturally β himself.
Monologue! π« @elonmusk pic.twitter.com/xeH1EOU79A
— Saturday Night Live - SNL (@nbcsnl) May 9, 2021
A Musk-less cold open celebrated Mother's Day with cast members trading jokes with their very own moms.
bestieβs gonna be okay, right? π pic.twitter.com/fhT7DrQrIz
— Saturday Night Live - SNL (@nbcsnl) May 9, 2021
Then, Musk spent his self-deprecative monologue making fun of his Elon-isms β his trigger-happy Twitter fingers, his high-flying visions of the future and his proclivity for marijuana.
This crime show is EXTREMELY Pennsylvania pic.twitter.com/XmMQnJTzS7
— Saturday Night Live - SNL (@nbcsnl) May 9, 2021
Perhaps most newsworthy, he appeared to reveal that he has Asperger's syndrome, which is considered a high-functioning disorder on the autism spectrum.
"I'm the first person with Asperger's to host SNL" he said. "Or at least the first to admit it."
You're a hero, Chad pic.twitter.com/dQ3G4ffk0j
— Saturday Night Live - SNL (@nbcsnl) May 9, 2021
He also brought his mom to the main stage, Maye Musk β a model and star in her own right.
Lloyd Ostertag stopped by the desk to talk cryptocurrency. pic.twitter.com/cuILxOBJlj
— Saturday Night Live - SNL (@nbcsnl) May 9, 2021
For Weekend Update, Musk broke down cryptocurrency (or tried to), specifically Dogecoin, a meme-inspired crypto that he loves to hype up on Twitter. An hour into his hosting duties, Dogecoin's value plunged over 26%.
In sign of world intrigue in his hosting debut, SNL also offered a livestream of the show, available for international audiences in over 100 countries.