There have been lots of behind-the-scenes stories coming out about Saturday Night Live as the 2025 TV schedule marks its milestone 50th season, including a deep dive into the “More Cowbell” sketch and a look at the terrifying SNL audition process. However, one story seems to remain at the forefront of people’s minds that’s not directly related to the show’s big anniversary — how Elon Musk made cast members cry when he hosted in 2021. The issue came up again this week after Musk made a controversial gesture during a speech at Donald Trump’s inauguration, with Chloe Fineman saying she has “no regrets” about calling out the billionaire.
Elon Musk has come under fire for doing a gesture in which he put his right hand on his chest before stretching his arm out straight, palm down, which many have interpreted as a Nazi salute. SNL cast member Chloe Fineman, whose father is Jewish, was among those to comment, posting an Instagram Story (via Daily Beast) that said:
Remember when i got in trouble for calling out mr nazi salute? ya no regrets.
Despite some people defending Elon Musk, who made the gesture while saying, “My heart goes out to you,” in thanks to those who helped Donald Trump get elected, Chloe Fineman doesn’t appear to have changed her opinion on the SpaceX founder.
Bowen Yang was actually the first to bring attention to the host's reported bad behavior, though when he mentioned the Saturday Night Live guest who “made multiple cast members cry” on Watch What Happens Live in August 2024, Yang did not name Elon Musk. That came in November, when Chloe Fineman posted a now-deleted TikTok video that identified the X (Twitter) owner as the person Yang was talking about. She continued:
Guess what? You made I, Chloe Fineman, burst into tears because I stayed up late writing a sketch. I was so excited, I came in, I asked if you had any questions and you stared at me like you were firing me from Tesla and were like, ‘It’s not funny.' I waited for you to be like, ‘Haha jk.’ Then you started pawing through my script, like flipping each page, being like, ‘I didn’t laugh at this. I didn’t laugh once, not one time.
Bowen Yang provided similar context for why the guest host’s reaction caused such an emotional response from Chloe Fineman and possibly other cast members, saying:
Imagine you stay up until 4 a.m. writing a sketch and then the host is like, ‘I fucking hate this.’ Your nerves are frayed, you’re going to have some weird, bizarre emotional response.
Elon Musk responded to being called out by Chloe Fineman in November, admitting that he was “worried” when he first read the sketch, but that it worked out in the end. He wrote on X (Twitter):
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 😮💨
While the two did apparently make everything work on the show, Chloe Fineman had no problem revealing his behavior afterward, and especially following Elon Musk’s controversial gesture this week, it seems like the comedian stands by her decision to do that. You can catch Fineman alongside Saturday Night Live Season 50’s hosts at 11:30 p.m. ET Saturdays on NBC and with a Peacock subscription.
