“Saturday Night Live” has had some controversial hosts in the past, but none have been quite as high-profile as Tesla CEO Elon Musk.
Musk, who hosted Saturday night’s episode of the late-night sketch comedy series, has come under fire in recent months due to his anti-union sentiments, his online trolling, and spreading misinformation about the COVID-19 pandemic.
Although the decision to cast him as host left fans divided, it seems the actors themselves were mostly accepting of the decision.
Pete Davidson
Pete Davidson, who was recently revealed to be dating “Bridgerton” star Phoebe Dynevor, admitted, “I don’t know why people are freaking out” in an appearance on “Late Night” with Seth Meyers.
“They’re like, ‘Oh I can’t believe that Elon Musk is hosting!’ And I’m like, the guy that makes the earth better kinda and makes cool things and sends people to Mars?” he joked.
“I just don’t understand why this is the dude everyone’s so freaked out about,” Davidson later added. “I was like, ‘What did he do? He’s just like a really wealthy businessman that makes, like, nerd s—.’ I don’t know. He’s really nice. I’m excited.”
Michael Che
Comedian Michael Che, who gained recognition when he hosted the 70th Primetime Emmy Awards with Colin Jost, also seemed to be in support of watching Musk take over the hosting role for a night.
He also went on “Late Night” earlier this week to share his enthusiasm, saying, “That’s gonna be exciting, too. He’s the richest man in the world, how could you not be excited for that?”
Bowen Yang
After Musk was announced to host the show, “SNL” writer and entertainer Bowen Yang shared the news with a frowny face emoji on his Instagram Story.
When Musk tweeted, “Let’s find out just how live Saturday Night Live really is,” Yang clapped back almost immediately, writing, “What the f–k does that even mean?”
Even the Slim Jim company got in on the action, commenting, “Why do I feel like you’re planning on breaking the space-time continuum?”
Aidy Bryant
Aidy Bryant never called Musk out by name, but did apparently throw some shade his way by sharing a Bernie Sanders tweet condemning the “moral obscenity” of wealth inequality in America.
Despite the divided reactions from the cast and crew, Musk later insisted that the alleged controversy was “much ado about nothing” and that everyone was friendly towards him on set.
Read on to see some of the funniest “Saturday Night Live” sketches that have graced our television sets over the past few years!