Saturday Night Live Skewers Elon Musk Following Midterm Election Losses

A Rough Week for the Tech Billionaire

Elon Musk faced a tumultuous week following the recent US midterm elections, characterized by significant political setbacks and a notable downturn in his financial standing. The fallout was swift, with reports indicating that the billionaire’s net worth plummeted by $33 billion in a single day, while shares in his companies, Tesla and SpaceX, experienced a sharp decline.

The political landscape also proved difficult for Musk. Despite donating at least $446 million to conservative political action committees—with a significant portion directed toward supporting candidates in Texas—the investment did not yield the desired results. In a surprising turn, Texas and several other traditionally Republican-leaning states shifted to the Democratic column during this election cycle.

SNL Takes Aim at Election Fumble

The comedy sketch show “Saturday Night Live” wasted no time addressing these developments during its “Weekend Update” segment on November 7. Comedian Jeremy Culhane took on the role of the tech mogul, offering a satirical take on the billionaire’s recent “fumble” in the political arena.

During the segment, anchor Colin Jost confronted the character regarding the massive financial resources Musk had “wasted” on the midterm elections. In response, the impersonated Musk attempted to deflect the conversation toward more favorable headlines, specifically referencing a recent demonstration of Tesla’s next-generation Roadster, which was shown performing a “kick-flip” in the air during an October event.

“I’m in the news because my car did a flip,” Culhane’s version of Musk insisted, mimicking the billionaire’s reaction to the stunt. “My car did a flip, remember? It was like a frickin’ Hot Wheel. It was like poof! And then bah! But I was like, totally chill. I was like, ‘Thug life!’ Imagine.”

Deflection and Digital Roasts

The sketch also touched upon Musk’s recent business decisions, specifically the announcement to halt production of the Tesla Cybertruck, which occurred just two days after the midterm elections. When pressed on the matter, the character again pivoted back to the Roadster stunt, repeatedly attempting to distract from his political and business challenges by recounting the “epic” nature of the car flip.

The segment concluded with a jab at Musk’s artificial intelligence venture, Grok. The sketch featured a fictitious “vulgar roast” feature, where the AI was programmed to deliver harsh critiques of its creator. The fake Grok did not hold back, labeling Musk as “the worst thing South Africa has ever done” and comparing his television appearances to a show titled “Hate on the Spectrum.” The digital roast ended with a biting remark: “Maybe if you have 100 more kids, one of them will talk to you.”

Source: businessinsider.com