Over the years, Saturday Night Live has welcomed a number of hosts to its stage at 30 Rockefeller Plaza. While some guests seem like obvious candidates for hosts, others can be a bit more surprising. This was definitely the case when it was announced that Tesla CEO Elon Musk would host an upcoming episode of the sketch comedy show. The choice to have Musk appear on the show was met with mixed to negative reactions from the general public and even a few members of the SNL cast. This led some to wonder if the cast would actually boycott the episode in question.
We recently learned that Saturday Night Live cast members will not be forced to appear alongside Elon Musk when he hosts the show. In Page Six’s initial report, a source alleged that this doesn’t just refer to the situation with Musk, this is a rule that has apparently been in place for years:
Speaking historically, if a cast member has been that unhappy, they don’t have to do it. [‘SNL’ boss Lorne Michaels] won’t ever make them do anything they don’t want to do.
Following Page Six’s story, TheWrap also reported on the matter, confirming that no cast members are planning to boycott Elon Musk’s episode of Saturday Night Live. The trade also corroborated Page Six’s claim that the unwritten rule regarding cast members feeling uncomfortable in certain situations exists.
After it was confirmed that Elon Musk would be hosting the show, the eccentric magnate posted a message to Twitter, saying, ‘Let’s find out just how live Saturday Night Live really is.’ SNL cast member Bowen Yang posted a snapshot of the tweet to Instagram and, in his caption, he wrote, ‘Let’s find out how live Saturday Night Live really is. What the fuck does this even mean?’ Cast member Aidy Bryant also retweeted a message from U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders, which appeared to be a dig at Musk. Both posts have since been deleted.
Elon Musk has become a polarizing figure, in large part because of his presence on social media. Musk has most recently received considerable backlash for spreading false information regarding the COVID-19 pandemic. He’s found himself pulled into a few legal situations as well.
Nevertheless, the businessman has managed to maintain a steady foot in the world of entertainment. At present, he’s even developing a space film with Tom Cruise.
Elon Musk’s spontaneous nature makes it difficult to predict how things will pan out when he appears on Saturday Night Live. Preparation for the episode is sure to be a bit awkward, to say the least. Still, it sounds like producer Lorne Michaels won’t have to worry about any of his cast members skipping out on this particular show. Elon Musk is set to host SNL on May 8, and will be joined by musical guest Miley Cyrus.
