• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

After forcing workers back to the office, Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan Chase are now letting their staff work remotely—but only for the World Cup

2

The Pentagon said Iran War costs $29 billion, but the real cost is closer to $200 billion—and counting

3

Current price of oil as of June 23, 2026

1

After forcing workers back to the office, Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan Chase are now letting their staff work remotely—but only for the World Cup

2

The Pentagon said Iran War costs $29 billion, but the real cost is closer to $200 billion—and counting

3

Current price of oil as of June 23, 2026
TechElon Musk

Dogecoin and SpaceX mischief: Here’s what Elon Musk should joke about on Saturday Night Live

Robert Hackett
By
Robert Hackett
Robert Hackett
Down Arrow Button Icon
Robert Hackett
By
Robert Hackett
Robert Hackett
Down Arrow Button Icon
May 8, 2021, 5:00 AM ET
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Writers at NBC’s Saturday Night Live have no shortage of source material from which to draw for Elon Musk’s guest appearance this weekend.

The Tesla and SpaceX chief executive’s penchant for Internet meme-making will provide ample assistance to the madcap minds behind the comedy sketch show. Musk’s many far-out, far-flung business ventures—from self-driving cars to Mars-bound rockets to Dogecoin boosterism—only add fodder.

While it’s impossible to know what sort of zany ideas SNL’s comedians are entertaining, we took a stab at drafting skit ideas anyway. Musk’s general unpredictability complicates matters: “I’m a wild card, so there’s no telling what I might do,” he teases in one promotional clip.

Against our better judgment, we tried to reverse engineer what a Musk-hosted episode might look like. Here are our five skit predictions.

1. “The Dogefather”

The most clamored-for possibility involves Dogecoin, a joke cryptocurrency that features frequently in Musk’s Twitter posts.

Amid a speculative frenzy, the digital funny money’s price has zoomed more than 12,000% to more than $0.60 cents per coin since the start of the year. A good chunk of that run-up took place soon after Musk tweeted, on April 27, “The Dogefather SNL May 8.”

Definitely

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 1, 2021

Presumably, any Dogefather skit will involve mafia satire. When comedian Bill Burr appeared on the show in October, he played a politically incorrect mob boss whose social graces were out of tune after the 20 years he’s spent in jail. In another variation on the theme in 2016, Pete Davidson pleads for more time to repay a $20,000 loan during a meeting with a Godfather-type figure. Peter Dinklage interrupts the tense situation by performing a ridiculous techno-song, “Spacepants,” on stage at the Italian restaurant meeting-place.

That Musk is a card-carrying member of the PayPal mafia, a diaspora of executives who once worked at the financial tech company, makes the possibility only likelier.

Guest starring … pic.twitter.com/buM3bTOWbX

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 7, 2021

2. “Irony Man”

As if he needed any help, Musk took to Twitter last Saturday to solicit skit premises.

“What should I do?” Musk inquired, offering up a few ideas of his own. One of them involved “Irony Man,” a play on the Marvel superhero Iron Man, whose portrayal by Robert Downey, Jr. in recent Disney films was partly inspired by Musk. He conceives of the character as a crime-fighter who “defeats villains using the power of irony.”

Superheroes are ripe subject for parody. Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson played a comically oblivious Superman in a 2000 skit. A 2008 episode featuring James Franco poked fun at a scene from a Spider-Man film in which he played the villain Harry Osborn.

In other tweets, Musk also floated “Baby Shark Tank,” a mash-up of the child-beloved song “Baby Shark” and the CNBC’s business-pitching show Shark Tank. Another one he proposed: “Woke James Bond.”

3. “Mutiny on the SpaceX Starship”

It would be a missed opportunity if SNL didn’t use the occasion of Musk’s appearance to set a skit aboard a SpaceX rocket ship, perhaps one bound for Mars or another distant world.

Musk could be put in charge of an intergalactic space-faring crew. Or, better yet, he could play second-in-command. In a hilarious skit from 2015, Chris Hemsworth plays the first mate and love interest to…a chicken captain. If I were an SNL writer, I would be doing casting calls for a Shiba Inu, the dog breed at the heart of the Dogecoin meme, as the next captain. (I, for one, welcome our Good Boy overlords.)

If not, there’s always this SpaceX-themed fan suggestion:

Guy comes in to interview for a job with SpaceX, but he thinks it’s Space Sex. Interview proceeds with neither side realizing the other means something different. The sketch writes itself.

— BORED (@BoredElonMusk) May 5, 2021

4. “Neuralink tech demo gone wrong”

Perhaps you caught a recent tech demo by Neuralink, another one of Musk’s sci-fi-esque ventures; this one works on brain-computer interfaces. The startup hooked up a monkey to machine that allowed the creature to play Pong, the classic arcade game, using its mind.

It’s a perfect pretense for SNL to continue its rich history of mocking tech company product demos. In one skit from 2016, a couple of hors d’oeuvres-serving robots go haywire at a Honda robotics exhibition. In another from 2017, SNL cast member Beck Bennett plays a gay robot, Helix 900, built by Microsoft. When a puzzled audience member asks why the work-robot flaunts its gender preferences, Fred Armisen responds, “I gotta say dude it’s kind of weird how obsessed you are with Helix 900’s sexuality.”

Imagine a super-smart, Neuralink-equipped monkey constantly foiling its presenters. The techies want the monkey to do one thing, but it pursues other ends (like bananas). Maybe in the end, it’ll be revealed that the whole demonstration is taking place inside the monkey’s mind, in keeping with Musk’s philosophical musings that reality itself may be a video game.

Something about how it is all a simulation

— Kara Swisher (@karaswisher) May 2, 2021

5. “Self-driving car crash”

On second thought, this one probably won’t fly.

When Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson filmed their Google-centric comedy flick The Internship, Google reportedly objected to a scene in which its self-driving cars collide. The scripted gag didn’t make the final cut.

Still, it’s hard to forget this classic 2001 SNL skit about a clown car crash. Chris Kattan, portraying a local news anchor, asks, “Dear god! What was a clown car doing on the highway?” The reporter at the scene answers, “Being hilarious.”

Tesla vehicles have caused fatal accidents, so this one likely hits too close to home. It would probably be safer, and less controversial, for Musk—and maybe his partner, Grimes—to rap about something more innocuous, like NFTs, or non-fungible tokens, cryptocurrency-related digital collectibles. Maybe they’ll collaborate on a song about their predilection for unpronounceable baby names.

Our mission to make business better is fueled by readers like you. To enjoy unlimited access to our journalism, subscribe today.

About the Author
Robert Hackett
By Robert Hackett
Instagram iconLinkedIn iconTwitter icon
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Latest in Tech

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Tech

How Home Depot is rebuilding retailing with AI
NewslettersCIO Intelligence
How Home Depot is rebuilding retailing with AI
By John KellJune 24, 2026
47 minutes ago
bob
AIbooks
Robert Wright sees an ‘earthquake’ coming from AI that goes far beyond jobs: ‘cultural, political, personal, family, psychological’
By Nick LichtenbergJune 24, 2026
1 hour ago
A man wearing a red and black jacket and a red hat walks down a hallway lined with servers.
InnovationChina
For the first time since 2017, it’s China, not the U.S., that has the world’s most powerful supercomputer
By The Associated PressJune 24, 2026
2 hours ago
Jack Schlossberg, Kennedy scion and sardonic social media star, loses in bid for New York state assembly
PoliticsPolitics
Jack Schlossberg, Kennedy scion and sardonic social media star, loses in bid for New York state assembly
By The Associated Press, Danny Peltz and Anthony IzaguirreJune 24, 2026
3 hours ago
Matt Garman
Successthe future of work
Amazon exec says AI won’t wipe out white-collar jobs—and is hiring 11,000 grads and interns, and has more developers than 2 years ago to prove it
By Preston ForeJune 24, 2026
3 hours ago
NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani 3 for 3 on his ‘better Democrats’ endorsements: ‘Put working people back at the heart of politics’
PoliticsNew York City
NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani 3 for 3 on his ‘better Democrats’ endorsements: ‘Put working people back at the heart of politics’
By The Associated Press, Jesse Bedayn, Thomas Beaumont and HUMERA LODHIJune 24, 2026
3 hours ago

Most Popular

After forcing workers back to the office, Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan Chase are now letting their staff work remotely—but only for the World Cup
Success
After forcing workers back to the office, Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan Chase are now letting their staff work remotely—but only for the World Cup
By Orianna Rosa RoyleJune 23, 2026
1 day ago
The Pentagon said Iran War costs $29 billion, but the real cost is closer to $200 billion—and counting
Economy
The Pentagon said Iran War costs $29 billion, but the real cost is closer to $200 billion—and counting
By Jacqueline MunisJune 24, 2026
11 hours ago
Current price of oil as of June 23, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of oil as of June 23, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerJune 23, 2026
1 day ago
Markets tumble worldwide as Fed resets expectations: $400 billion wiped off SpaceX stock
Banking
Markets tumble worldwide as Fed resets expectations: $400 billion wiped off SpaceX stock
By Jim EdwardsJune 23, 2026
1 day ago
Current price of gold as of June 23, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of gold as of June 23, 2026
By Danny BakstJune 23, 2026
1 day ago
Texas and Charlotte used to build huge McMansions—now they're copying the California design tricks they once mocked
Real Estate
Texas and Charlotte used to build huge McMansions—now they're copying the California design tricks they once mocked
By Sydney LakeJune 22, 2026
2 days ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.