Elon Musk Says He’s ‘First Person With Asperger’s To Host SNL’ In Monologue

Tech entrepreneur Elon Musk told Saturday Night Live viewers that he was “the first person with Asperger’s to host SNL.” The reveal prompted cheers from the audience. This is believed to be the first time the 49-year-old has spoken publicly about his condition.

Musk hosted SNL for the 18th episode of season 46. During his opening monologue, he poked fun at his public perception. “I don’t always have a lot of intonation or variation in how I speak… which I’m told makes for great comedy,” he said. “I’m actually making history tonight as the first person with Asperger’s to host SNL.”

Social media users were quick to point that Dan Aykroyd has hosted the comedy sketch show. Aykroyd has been vocal about his struggle with Tourette’s and Asperger’s syndrome.

Musk also addressed his presence on social media platforms like Twitter, where he has 53 million followers. He said, “Look, I know I sometimes say or post strange things, but that’s just how my brain works.”

Musk continued his explanation with, “To anyone who’s been offended, I just want to say I reinvented electric cars, and I’m sending people to Mars in a rocket ship. Did you think I was going to be a chill, normal dude?”

Learn more about Asperger syndrome here.

Musk also joked about his role in the popularity of the cryptocurrency Dogecoin. The currency, which was created in 2013 with a Shiba Inu dog as its mascot, jumped in value by 50% after Musk called it “the people’s crypto.”

He said Dogecoin, based on the Doge meme, was “an unstoppable vehicle that’s going to take over the world.” Later, Musk referred to it as a “hustle” and the currency immediately dropped in value.