Elon Musk is right: His SNL wasn't funny, but it wasn't Chloe Fineman or the cast's fault

Elon Musk, still basking in the glow of Donald Trump's election victory, has decided to ignite a feud with Saturday Night Live. The spat has already produced some behind-the-scenes details as well as Musk admitting he feared his SNL appearance wouldn't be funny. He was right about that, but not for the reasons he thinks.

The Musk vs. SNL battle began last week when Dana Carvey popped up in the cold open as the Tesla CEO. It was a relatively harmless impression, mocking Musk's over-the-top antics while on stage at Trump rallies.

But the world's richest man didn't approve. He posted on X that Saturday Night Live was dying and no longer carried any cultural relevance. It's a tired criticism of SNL and not all that accurate given the show is celebrating its 50th season and has seen strong ratings so far.

Cast member Chloe Fineman fired back on TikTok on Monday night. The comedian revealed Musk made her cry after tearing into her sketch as unfunny. Fineman claimed Musk was rude and that's why she felt justified in responding.

Unsurprisingly, Musk wasn't going to let Fineman's response go unanswered. He posted on X "Frankly, it was only on the Thursday before the Saturday that ANY of the sketches generated laughs. I was worried. I was like damn my SNL appearance is going to be so fucking unfunny that it will make a crackhead sober!! But then it worked out in the end.”

Musk also had more to say to Fineman specifically. "She’s a professional comedy writer who cries when someone doesn’t think her jokes are funny? That’s funny," he posted.

Reviews of Elon Musk's 'Saturday Night Live' performance weren't very positive

Elon Musk hosted Saturday Night Live in May 2021. The episode got a bump in ratings, thanks in part to Musk's loyal followers and those curious to see how the polarizing figure would perform.

Expectations were not high for Musk given he's not a performer, nor did he seem to have the type of personality that would blend well with the tone and style of Saturday Night Live. So nobody was shocked when Musk didn't exactly clear the bar.

That's not to say Musk was terrible. He did what was asked of him in a Mare of Easttown parody, let Chloe Fineman shine in the "Ooli" sketch, and turned himself into a meme in a Wario sketch.

But for Musk to be worried that his episode wouldn't be funny because of the material is puzzling. It ignores the fact that the cast and writers tend to write with the host's abilities in mind. Meetings ahead of writing night let the SNL team understand what the host is comfortable doing and what kind of material is worth pursuing. If Musk wants to put on his tinfoil hat (and it wouldn't be the first time), maybe a disgruntled SNL staff didn't want to use its best material on the controversial host.

But the fact is the cast carried Musk through most of the episode. Cecily Strong and Kate McKinnon were bigger draws and garnered more laughs when performing opposite the controversial billionaire. Musk's line delivery left much to be desired and critics noted his tendency to perform toward the cue cards.

Musk considers himself to be a funny and entertaining individual. He certainly has legions of fans that would agree. But that did not translate to Saturday Night Live, a show that has made boring politicians, wooden athletes, and other non-comedians funny for 50 years.

Saturday Night Live returns this week with a brand-new episode. It's hard to imagine the show will let Elon Musk go without a response, be it another Dana Carvey appearance, "Weekend Update" joke, or maybe letting Chloe Fineman take the lead.