Saturday Night Live has introduced a new portrayal of billionaire executive Elon Musk, adding to the comedy show’s growing series of sketches targeting the technology sector and its most prominent leaders. Cast member Jeremy Culhane debuted his impression of the SpaceX and Tesla CEO during the Weekend Update segment, framing Musk as an awkward figure struggling to gain approval and win over the segment’s co-hosts.
A Shifting Take on the Tesla and SpaceX Executive
The late-night program has frequently made Musk a target of satire, including appearances after his past stint as a guest host on the show. Previous sketches featured Mike Myers portraying the world’s richest man wielding a chainsaw before abruptly freezing in place and declaring a glitch. Culhane’s take presented a distinct angle, leaning into a personality eager to be liked while awkwardly shrugging off high-profile challenges.
The sketch arrived following a difficult run of headlines for Musk. In the real world, Musk recently spent half a billion dollars backing political candidates who ended up losing in the midterm elections. Around the same time, plans emerged indicating an upcoming halt to production of Tesla’s Cybertruck. Culhane’s performance wove these setbacks into the dialogue, with the character attempting to deflect criticism by recalling spectacular vehicle incidents and insisting that his car did a flip.
Weekend Update Skewers Political Moves and Taxes
During the Weekend Update appearance, co-host Colin Jost confronted the fictionalized executive with a direct recap of his relocation away from California. Jost pointed out that Musk relocated his personal residence and corporate entities to Texas in an effort to escape Democratic governance and state taxes, even establishing his own company town within the state. Jost concluded the line of questioning by noting that Democrats have taken control of Texas, meaning Musk will face taxation regardless, before asking how that outcome felt. In response, Culhane’s Musk simply agreed with the premises and replied, “Bad?”
The sketch also made light of Musk’s artificial intelligence initiatives, specifically his chatbot Grok. On air, Culhane asked Grok to deliver an aggressive, vulgar roast directed at Musk himself. The AI persona complied with sharp jabs, labeling Musk the worst thing South Africa has ever produced and suggesting that having a hundred more children might finally yield one who is willing to speak to him.
Tech Leadership Under the Satirical Microscope
The appearance reflects a broader editorial focus across the current season of Saturday Night Live, which has repeatedly mocked the technology ecosystem, artificial intelligence, and startup figures. The same broadcast included a spoof of an Elizabeth Holmes documentary titled You Can See Everything, featuring cast member Jane Wickline depicting the convicted Theranos founder alongside episode host Druski.
Earlier in the season, Wickline also lampooned Anthropic chief executive Dario Amodei, depicting the AI pioneer as a stuttering figure issuing grave warnings about technological catastrophe. In another recent episode, cast member James Austin Johnson took on investor Kevin O’Leary in connection with his backing of massive data center developments. Asked about extensive public pushback to the infrastructure projects, Johnson’s O’Leary character stated that his only goal was to purchase tens of thousands of acres of nature and replace it with a loud computer designed to eliminate employment.
