Tesla founder Elon Musk will host 'SNL' on May 8. AFP
Tesla founder Elon Musk will host 'SNL' on May 8. AFP
Tesla founder Elon Musk will host 'SNL' on May 8. AFP
Tesla founder Elon Musk will host 'SNL' on May 8. AFP

'Saturday Night Live' cast members will not be made to appear in controversial show hosted by Elon Musk


Sophie Prideaux
  • English
  • Arabic

Members of Saturday Night Live's regular cast will not be forced to perform alongside Elon Musk when he hosts the show next week, according to reports.

The Tesla and SpaceX founder and chief executive is set to host the show on Saturday, a move which has attracted much criticism from both fans and stars of the programme.

However, according to the New York Post, those who do not wish to perform alongside Musk will not be made to.

“Speaking historically, if a cast member has been that unhappy, they don’t have to do it,” a source told the newspaper.

"SNL boss Lorne Michaels won't ever make them do anything they don't want to do."

Musk drew further criticism after the show was announced, when he tweeted, "Let's find out just how live Saturday Night Live really is."

Cast member Bowen Yang posted a screenshot of the tweet, saying “What the … does this even mean?”, however, the tweet has since been deleted.

In the past, Musk, 49, has appeared in animated shows, such as The Simpsons, Rick and Morty and South Park, he has also made cameos in The Big Bang Theory and Iron Man 2, but he is not known for his acting.

Musk is also one of the few people not from the worlds of entertainment, sports or politics to host the long-running comedy show.

Historically, the billionaire has been criticised for his treatment of employees and his outspoken nature has landed him in trouble.

Fans of the show also voiced their disapproval on social media. "I thought SNL was an entertainment show. So because Musk is rich and famous, we get to see him pretend he has talent as a comedian? I really don't understand why SNL gives non-actors who would never get an acting job hosting duties. Is Pete Davidson going to run Tesla for a week?," one Twitter user wrote.

“Can we stop pretending billionaires belong in entertainment on that merit alone???,” another said.

Pop star Miley Cyrus is also set to appear on SNL the night that Musk hosts.

Ahmed Raza

UAE cricket captain

Age: 31

Born: Sharjah

Role: Left-arm spinner

One-day internationals: 31 matches, 35 wickets, average 31.4, economy rate 3.95

T20 internationals: 41 matches, 29 wickets, average 30.3, economy rate 6.28

'Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore'

Rating: 3/5

Directed by: David Yates

Starring: Mads Mikkelson, Eddie Redmayne, Ezra Miller, Jude Law

The specs

Engine: 4.0-litre V8 twin-turbocharged and three electric motors

Power: Combined output 920hp

Torque: 730Nm at 4,000-7,000rpm

Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch automatic

Fuel consumption: 11.2L/100km

On sale: Now, deliveries expected later in 2025

Price: expected to start at Dh1,432,000

BMW M5 specs

Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor

Power: 727hp

Torque: 1,000Nm

Transmission: 8-speed auto

Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km

On sale: Now

Price: From Dh650,000

Fixtures

Tuesday - 5.15pm: Team Lebanon v Alger Corsaires; 8.30pm: Abu Dhabi Storms v Pharaohs

Wednesday - 5.15pm: Pharaohs v Carthage Eagles; 8.30pm: Alger Corsaires v Abu Dhabi Storms

Thursday - 4.30pm: Team Lebanon v Pharaohs; 7.30pm: Abu Dhabi Storms v Carthage Eagles

Friday - 4.30pm: Pharaohs v Alger Corsaires; 7.30pm: Carthage Eagles v Team Lebanon

Saturday - 4.30pm: Carthage Eagles v Alger Corsaires; 7.30pm: Abu Dhabi Storms v Team Lebanon

Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha

Starring: Ajay Devgn, Tabu, Shantanu Maheshwari, Jimmy Shergill, Saiee Manjrekar

Director: Neeraj Pandey

Rating: 2.5/5

The Sand Castle

Director: Matty Brown

Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea

Rating: 2.5/5

PRISCILLA
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FIGHT CARD

Bantamweight Hamza Bougamza (MAR) v Jalal Al Daaja (JOR)

Catchweight 67kg Mohamed El Mesbahi (MAR) v Fouad Mesdari (ALG)

Lighweight Abdullah Mohammed Ali (UAE) v Abdelhak Amhidra (MAR)

Catchweight 73kg Mostafa Ibrahim Radi (PAL) v Yazid Chouchane (ALG)

Middleweight Yousri Belgaroui (TUN) v Badreddine Diani (MAR)

Catchweight 78kg Rashed Dawood (UAE) v Adnan Bushashy (ALG)

Middleweight Sallaheddine Dekhissi (MAR) v Abdel Emam (EGY)

Catchweight 65kg Rachid Hazoume (MAR) v Yanis Ghemmouri (ALG)

Lighweight Mohammed Yahya (UAE) v Azouz Anwar (EGY)

Catchweight 79kg Omar Hussein (PAL) v Souhil Tahiri (ALG)

Middleweight Tarek Suleiman (SYR) v Laid Zerhouni (ALG)

Fixtures:

Wed Aug 29 – Malaysia v Hong Kong, Nepal v Oman, UAE v Singapore
Thu Aug 30 - UAE v Nepal, Hong Kong v Singapore, Malaysia v Oman
Sat Sep 1 - UAE v Hong Kong, Oman v Singapore, Malaysia v Nepal
Sun Sep 2 – Hong Kong v Oman, Malaysia v UAE, Nepal v Singapore
Tue Sep 4 - Malaysia v Singapore, UAE v Oman, Nepal v Hong Kong
Thu Sep 6 – Final

The%20specs
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E3.6-litre%2C%20V6%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3Eeight-speed%20auto%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E285hp%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E353Nm%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EDh159%2C900%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3Enow%3C%2Fp%3E%0A