Elon Musk and Saturday Night Live aren't exactly friends, and although the tech billionaire delivered an opening monologue in 2021, he's since fallen out with NBC's comedy showcase over its various depictions of him. Then again, many would argue that the Elon Musk he showed on the series is very different from the Elon Musk we now see sporting MAGA hats, 'tech support' tees, and strolling around the corridors of the White House.
There have recently been battle lines drawn between Elon Musk and SNL, with the world's richest man being vocally against Mike Myers' recent impressions of him. Still, with Musk brandishing a chainsaw on stage and a piece of cheese on his head, he's accused of being something of a parody himself. Musk has clapped back by saying, "SNL hasn't been funny in a long time," and even when he performed his monologue, it seems he wasn't a fan of some of the comedy.
In August 2024, SNL cast member Bowen Yang set tongues wagging when he said a male SNL host had made 'multiple' people cry for dissing their sketch ideas. Although Yang refused to confirm who this mystery man is, Chloe Fineman might've done it for him.
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Posting a now-deleted TikTok video, Fineman explained: "I was like I'm not gonna say anything, but I’m like, no, if you're gonna go on your platform [X] and be rude, guess what?
“You made I, Chloe Fineman, burst into tears because I stayed up all night writing this sketch."
She continued: "I was so excited, I came in, I asked if you had any questions and you stared at me like you were firing me from Tesla, and were like, ‘It's not funny.' I waited for you to be like, 'Haha, JK.' No.
“Then you started pawing through my script, like flipping each page being like, 'I didn't laugh. I didn't laugh once, not one time'."
Despite Musk's apparent beef with her sketch, Fineman reiterates that it actually made it onto the episode and was 'fine': "I actually had a really good time, and I thought you were really funny in it, but, you know, have a little manners here, sir."
Fineman says she decided to speak out after Musk "being butt-hurt about SNL and his impression." This came after a pre-Myers Dana Carvey was slammed by Musk for his take on him last year.
Back then, a vexed Must wrote: "SNL has been dying slowly for years, as they become increasingly out of touch with reality. Their last-ditch effort to cheat the equal airtime requirements and prop up Kamala before the election only helped sink her campaign further. @nbcsnl."
Musk did respond to Fineman, posting on X and saying: "Frankly, it was only on the Thursday before the Saturday that ANY of the sketches generated laughs. I was worried." He concluded that he was worried his performance was going to be 'unfunny' but "it worked out in the end."
Time is supposed to heal all wounds, but when it comes to the war between Musk and SNL, that might not be the case.