It looks like Elon Musk has found another critic in Hollywood, as George Clooney has called out the divisive figure amid accusations that he performed a 'Nazi salute' at President Donald Trump's inauguration. Even three months after the controversial moment, it seems the world won't forget it.
While Elon Musk's fortunes seemed to boom in the aftermath of Donald Trump winning the 2024 American election, it's been a different story since the President of the United States returned to the White House.
Musk remains contentious due to his heading up the Department of Government Efficiency. As well as calls for Tesla boycotts and the CEO to be fired, we've been warned that Musk is facing a 'code red' situation.
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There have been many who've spoken out about the situation, including union bosses, Jimmy Kimmel, and even Musk's own estranged daughter, Vivianne Wilson.
While it's true that his father has defended him, we can add Clooney to the growing list of his vilifiers.
Speaking to Patii LuPone for Variety, Clooney explained why he used footage of Musk's 'Roman salute' during his new Broadway production of Good Night, and Good Luck.
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Adapting his 2005 historical drama of the same name, Clooney takes on the lead role of journalist Edward R. Murrow. Toward the end, footage of former Fox host Megyn Kelly and Musk’s 'salute' moment is played.
Kelly has called Clooney out for not being a journalist, while LuPone quipped: "Neither is she."
Discussing that big Musk moment, Clooney continued: "People can look at Elon Musk doing his move and go, 'That’s a Roman salute'. And maybe it is. We put it on a big screen, and we let you make your own decisions.
"Having said that, I will argue that when you retweet a statement that says that Hitler wasn’t responsible for the Holocaust — which he did — then maybe it is a Nazi salute. Maybe."
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LuPone then asked whether Clooney thinks Musk is destroying the government, and when he has time to tweet at him. Taking things on the chin, the Ocean's Eleven heartthrob made light of when Trump posted on his Truth Social platform and branded the star a "fake movie actor." Clooney summed up: "Well, the president of the United States sent some nice tweets. It’s funny because he’s just a New York beast. We’ve all known him for 30 years, and he was just a guy chasing women. But whatever. It’s fine. We’re going to get through it."
LuPone questioned this, with Clooney concluding: "I'm an optimist."
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There's no love lost between Clooney and Musk, with the former famously angering the Tesla overlord when he dissed his experience owning one of its EV vehicles in a 2013 interview with Esquire. In the end, Clooney flogged his Tesla Roadster for $99,000 and gave the proceeds to charity.