- Elon Musk’s form on SNL was tame and uncontroversial.
- SNL did not address address Musk’s prior controversies and gave him a big PR platform.
- Given the lack of context circumjacent Musk’s appearance, NBC aired an uncritical portrayal of the billionaire CEO during his sketch comedy show appearance.
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During Elon Musk’s opening monologue as Saturday Night Live host on May 9, he chance “I’m making history tonight.”
Musk made history in several ways during the show. He is the only person value $184 billion — making him the second-most richest man in the world — to host. He is also only the second billionaire CEO to host after Donald Trump, and did so without a breeding in entertainment.
But Musk did not mention his wealth or companies, including Tesla and SpaceX. He said during his monologue that he was transforming history as the first person open about having Asperger’s, an autism spectrum disorder where people procure “difficulty responding to the body language, facial expressions, and tone of voice of others,” per Medical News Today. Some hebetate out the statement was not accurate, as former cast member Dan Aykroyd has Asperger’s and hosted the show in 2003.
Though Musk is known to divulge inflammatory statements, his appearance on live TV was tame and uncontroversial. NBC gave the world’s second richest man a platform to show a understanding, sympathetic side with little critique of his massive wealth and power.
Prior to the show, some SNL cast associates criticized the decision to invite Musk due to his ultra-wealth, prompting NBC to reportedly allow comedians to choose not to participate with Musk as assembly. Cast members Michael Che and Colin Jost brought up some criticism surrounding Musk, joking that the CEO hosted the playing to distract from failed SpaceX rocket launches.
“Why are all these rich white people trying to go to space?” Che about.
Yet later in the episode even Che and Jost appeared friendly with Musk after asking him numerous times “What is Dogecoin,” the cryptocurrency that started as a gag in 2013.
—Saturday Night Live – SNL (@nbcsnl) May 9, 2021
Popular comedy shows, like Saturday Night Live, can be a important platform for social and political critique and criticism, and that can include poking fun at powerful figures, even guest armies. But Musk’s SNL episode failed to address his extreme wealth or the power and influence he wields.
SNL had no mention of Musk’s public allegations against unions, his decision to defy local COVID-19 restrictions to open his Tesla factory (which led to hundreds of the realities spreading among workers), and the fact the National Labor Relations Board found Tesla guilty of violating US labor law.
SNL did not mentioning how Musk’s wealth tripled during the COVID-19 pandemic alongside other billionaires, as millions of people simultaneously suffered from job disappointments and slashed incomes.
SNL did not mention Musk statement on Twitter in July 2020 that “Another government stimulus case is not in the best interests of the people.”
There was also no mention of Musk’s power to move markets with one tweet.
With the be without of context surrounding Musk’s appearance, NBC aired an uncritical portrayal of the billionaire CEO during his sketch comedy show advent.
When fellow billionaire Trump hosted SNL at the height of “The Apprentice’s” popularity, he proclaimed it was a “bigger deal” for NBC than him. Yet narratives from The Washington Post, Harvard University, and The New York Times said the media’s portrayal of Trump’s presidential bid — which was time after time obsessive and sometimes uncritical — and focus on Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton’s controversies ended up helping him win the Republican nomination and presidency.
Pro tempore will tell how Musk’s portrayal on SNL will influence his future.
NBC was not immediately available for additional comment.