Elon Musk gives his monologue as the host of NBC’s “Saturday Night Live”. (NBC Video)
Elon Musk made his mark on NBC’s Saturday Night Live tonight – not only as the richest host on the 46-year-old series of the late night comedy show, but also as the first host to confirm on the program that he has Asperger’s Syndrome.
That’s not exactly a surprise: for years, people have noticed that the Billionaire CEO of SpaceX and Tesla has the laser focus and social awkwardness associated with Asperger’s. But Musk fully embraced his aspieness during today’s monologue.
“I’m actually making history tonight as the first person to host ‘SNL’ with Asperger’s, or at least the first to admit it,” he said. “So I’m not going to have a lot of eye contact with the cast tonight. But I’m pretty good at walking people in emulation mode. “
“I’m actually making history as the first person with Asperger’s to host SNL … or at least the first to admit it.” – @elonmusk
Hands down one of the best opening monologues I’ve ever seen ???? pic.twitter.com/z2bVVaHy6o
– Pranay Pathole (@PPathole) May 9, 2021
It is true that for the roles he played in the comedy skits, Musk is unlikely to be doing the SNL hit clip show – including an Icelandic TV producer, a Generation Z doctor, a cowboy with electric riding and Wario (the misunderstood “Mario Bros. video game character). But he won the day with his self-deprecating humor.
The most spacious (and sharpest) moment came when Musk was playing himself and dealing with a Martian Crisis that involved Chad, the unsuspecting slacker who is a recurring character played by Pete Davidson. (Watch the clip until the end – if you dare.)
You’re a hero, Chad pic.twitter.com/dQ3G4ffk0j
– Saturday Night Live – SNL (@nbcsnl) May 9, 2021
Despite the concerns raised prior to the show, the cast also did some good-natured digs.
For example, during the “Weekend Update” Colin Jost, a regular SNL employee, found that a Chinese Long March missile fell into the Indian Ocean seemingly harmless after days of handshaking over the risk of debris in orbit. “For once, we know it’s not Elon’s fault,” joked Jost. “A lot of people have asked themselves, ‘Why is he hosting our show? ‘And now we know: Because he needed an alibi. “
Michael Che, co-host of Weekend Update, has also teamed up with Musk and Jeff Bezos, CEO of Amazon. Che first noticed that Bezos’ Blue Origin space company had just set up an auction for a trip into space aboard his suborbital spaceship New Shepard.
“Why are all these rich whites trying to go into space?” he asked. “Look, if there are Martians watching this, when you see a bunch of foreign ships pulling up on your land, take it from a black guy, don’t step on them … unless you want a Martian with that Be surname. ‘Washington.’ “
Musk and the “SNL” writers managed to work on some references to Dogecoin, the meme-inspired cryptocurrency that became a focus of speculation before the show.
During the “weekend update,” Musk portrayed a nerdy, bowed financial expert who tried to explain exactly to Che and Jost what Dogecoin was – until he said it could be exchanged for conventional money.
“Oh,” said Che. “So it’s a rush.”
“Yeah, it’s a rush,” replied Musk’s character.
Lloyd Ostertag stopped at his desk to talk about cryptocurrency. pic.twitter.com/cuILxOBJlj
– Saturday Night Live – SNL (@nbcsnl) May 9, 2021
As the show progressed, Dogecoin lost value and the Robinhood trading app experienced a temporary outage due to the high volume of trading. But if Musk’s monologue is to be believed, there’s a new addition to the Doge family holdings.
Since this is Mother’s Day weekend, the cast’s mothers have been mentioned in some jokes – as has Musk’s mother, Maye Musk.
“I’m looking forward to the present for Mother’s Day,” she said to her son at the end of the monologue. “I just hope it’s not Dogecoin.”
“It is,” admitted Elon Musk.
Update for 11:05 p.m. PT May 8: Maye Musk wasn’t the only mother from Elon’s family to show up. Grimes, the mother of his youngest son, played Princess Peach in the Wario sketch and appeared on stage at the end of the show. Musk also referred to her son’s name, X Æ A-Xii, during the monologue. “It is pronounced, ‘cat walks across the keyboard,'” joked Musk.
Update for 12:30 p.m. PT May 9: For what it’s worth, . notes that “SNL” original cast member Dan Aykroyd, who returned to host the show in 2003, has confirmed in interviews that he has been diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome.