"He’s a black hole, a rare figure who absorbs attention, good or bad. He’s already downplayed the latest news about Tesla, involving the deaths of two people in a driverless car in Texas, claiming that autopilot was not enabled, and moved on to reiterating his calls for turning humanity into a 'multi-planetary species.' His power does not depend on cultural support from the likes of SNL; he can be disliked, but not 'canceled.' None of his scandals have substantially altered his influence on the tech industry or his online following. Unlike a typical SNL host, he has nothing to lose. The show has effectively invited into the hallowed halls of 30 Rock a walking, talking, breathing meme with a net worth of $172.1 billion as of this writing."
From "Elon Musk’s SNL Hosting Gig Is a Trap By the time you understand the billionaire’s motives, you’ve already been trolled" (The Atlantic).
I can't really understand why it's supposed to be so bad for Musk to be an SNL host. I also read "'SNL' cast won’t be forced to appear with controversial host Elon Musk" (at Page Six), and I couldn't figure it out. I understand some cast members have an objection, but what it the objection based on?
It seems to me he's an interesting persona, and everything depends on the sketches they build around him. They're not just going to genuflect to his wealth and his purported genius, I presume. It's going to be more about his oddness, his screwiness. Maybe there's just a fear that the show will enhance his power, even if they do what they can to mock him, as it did for Trump.
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