back to article Technoking of comedy? Elon Musk to host Saturday Night Live

Long-running US skit show Saturday Night Live has once again courted controversy by inviting Technoking Elon Musk on to host. SNL announced the pick via Twitter on Saturday to be confirmed the following day by teleprompter-hater His Muskiness himself who then quipped: "Let's find out just how live Saturday Night Live really is …

  1. Magani
    FAIL

    Aim lower

    SNL obviously going for ratings rather than content.

    1. Version 1.0 Silver badge

      Re: Aim lower

      But if you are a TV show then ratings matter far more than content.

      1. Jellied Eel Silver badge

        Re: Aim lower

        Why not double down and book Johhny Depp for the same night?

  2. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Funny?

    It's SNL, not some foreign policy analysis show or literary critique. The question will be whether he is funny. Does he have comedic timing? Any moron can read out somebody else's script but only some people get the timing and delivery right.

    That Elon Musk is a massive dickhead doesn't mean he can't be funny. Chevy Chase is/was quite funny but is also well-known to be a massive asshole and SNL staff endured him for years before they fired him.

    1. skeptical i

      Re: Funny?

      Agree, AC. Last I watched SNL (looooong time ago) it appeared that all the guest host has to do is get through the opening monologue (unclear how much/little is writ by others), appear in a couple of skits, and cash the check (or gorge out on green room snacks, whatever the compensation is). Some hosts I had little hope for turned out to be pretty good, within the cast/crew's carefully constructed guardrails.

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Facepalm

        Re: Funny?

        I can't remember the last time I watched a whole show. For Elon I'll do what I always do, read a critique and YouTube the segments I might be interested in. My money is on Elon not being one of them

  3. wolfetone Silver badge

    To quote Father Jack:

    How did that gobshite get on the television?

  4. don't you hate it when you lose your account

    If I ever watched it

    I might care.

    1. Tom 7

      Re: If I ever watched it

      Its one of those shows you are told is fantastic - apart from the 10 or so shows you actually watched and thought were meh. I wonder if he's going to do pedo jokes.

  5. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    We have to consider ourselved lucky

    here in Blighty in that, we don't get SNL unless we have a subscription to some obscure cable channel.

    Some of it was funny especially the takedowns to Trump but most of it wasn't very funny.

    I'm sure that Elon's grand plan to rule the world won't be harmed by this event. His Starlink system is set to become the 'World's ISP'.

    If you drive a Tesla, you are giving him all the data he needs to sling targetted ads at you as you drive or rather the car drives itself.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: We have to consider ourselved lucky

      I find that obscure channel called youtube works pretty well in Blighty for SNL, sub free too.

    2. Paul Herber Silver badge

      Re: We have to consider ourselved lucky

      Have you had an accident in your Tesla recently and destroyed a tree as well as written off your car? Give lawyers Nole Skum a call right now, hey, we'll call for you!

  6. Flocke Kroes Silver badge

    Video or it didn't happen

    I do not believe Musk quipped. Stuttered is far more likely. I love hearing about the rockets but Musk is painful to listen to. Yusaku Maezawa speaks better English.

  7. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    "A host should have some discernible talent other than… being rich? "

    There's precedent for this. Main example I can think of is George Steinbrenner (then owner of the NY Yankees). He appeared at a time when he was fairly unpopular in the press due to repeatedly firing his managers. Steinbrenner's monolog lampshaded the situation. He pointed out that SNL hosts fell into two categories 1) entertainers (actors, musicians, athletes, etc) and 2) beloved public figures. Since he was clearly not an entertainer, by process of elimination he must therefore be a beloved figure.

    1. Atomic Duetto

      Lampshading

      Everyday’s a school day - Lampshading

      Cheers:)

  8. Pascal Monett Silver badge
    Stop

    Cringe-inducing ?

    I've had four years of OHSG cringe-induced trauma. We're veering into PTSD territory here.

    I don't need more, thank you.

  9. Fruit and Nutcase Silver badge
    Facepalm

    Musical Guest

    No disrespect to Miley Cyrus, but they could have done a deal and roped in Grimes as musical guest

    1. Dr. G. Freeman

      Re: Musical Guest

      Thought she was still on maternity leave with [keyboard mash] ?

  10. dancecat

    Tech Noking

    My brain split up "technoking" incorrectly. What is it to noke some tech?

    1. Fruit and Nutcase Silver badge
      Joke

      Re: Tech Noking

      Tech Joking

    2. Fruit and Nutcase Silver badge
      Coat

      Re: Tech Noking

      What is it to noke some tech?

      Nokehead

    3. Geoffrey W

      Re: Tech Noking

      I think it's a bit like Muffin the Mule.

    4. Fruit and Nutcase Silver badge

      Re: Tech Noking

      Nok, Nok

      Who's There?

      Tech Noking

      Well, stop noking and come on in, the door's open

    5. Fruit and Nutcase Silver badge

      Re: Tech Noking

      Is that a Nokwurst sausage in your pocket, or are you just pleased to see me

    6. Fruit and Nutcase Silver badge

      Re: Tech Noking

      Stop noking about and go to your room!

  11. jake Silver badge

    SNL hasn't been funny, nor original ...

    ... since roughly 1980.

    However, the episode might be worth watching just to see the look on Musk's face when (if?) he realizes that they are laughing at him, not with him.

    1. DrXym

      Re: SNL hasn't been funny, nor original ...

      I read a lot of US media and occasionally SNL will come up - "SNL takes aim at Trump" etc. and you go and watch the sketch and it's just embarrassingly unfunny. Jokes that would make a 12 year old cringe. US TV can do topical comedy extremely well e.g. Daily Show, or Colbert, but SNL is just garbage.

      Perhaps it was good once, or perhaps it was always like this but has accumulated a few stand out sketches and performers that we forget the 95% of it that was dreck.

      1. Disgusted Of Tunbridge Wells Silver badge

        Re: SNL hasn't been funny, nor original ...

        That's pretty much true of any anti-Trump comedy. The same with Boris/Brexit/etc.

        It's just lowest common denominator "I'm going to make a political statement and then play the laughter track".

        1. DrXym

          Re: SNL hasn't been funny, nor original ...

          I used Trump as an example, it could be any politician. The likes of Daily Show & Colbert do it very well, in part because the satire and jokes are used to make serious points.

        2. Disgusted Of Tunbridge Wells Silver badge

          Re: SNL hasn't been funny, nor original ...

          Downvotes from people who like their comedy to be devoid of humour.

  12. Fruit and Nutcase Silver badge
    Coat

    Red lines for Musk?

    Don't comment on...

    Tesla share price

    Bitcoin as an investment

    If you have either, be sure to watch SNL when broadcast and be prepared to bale out pronto

  13. DrXym

    Oh boy

    Anyone who has seen Musk's cameo in Rick and Morty or his usual stumbling stage presence knows which direction the laugh-o-meter will swing.

  14. Prst. V.Jeltz Silver badge

    Quite the character assasination in that article..

    someone mum used to say :

    if you havent got anything nice etc etc

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      "If you haven't got anything nice to say about him...

      ...come over here and sit next to me."

      She loved a good gossip, my mum.

    2. Geoffrey W

      RE: "if you havent got anything nice etc etc"

      Well, it's not as if Musky follows that credo either. He called that cave rescue guy a pedo because he rejected Musk's super whizzo submarine rescue scheme. I won't cry for him.

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