World-renowned investor and owner of Tesla Elon Musk appeared on Saturday Night Live last weekend as a host rather than an interviewee, in a move that surprised the masses. Heat has come as no surprise for the 49-year-old, however, as being one of the richest people on Earth and hosting a live show was bound to spark conversation. 

Musk revealed during the front half of his monologue that he suffers from Asperger’s, a rare condition on the spectrum of autism that can cause social hindrances. He later admitted this was the reasoning for his sometimes-monotone speaking patterns and amused the crowd with a joke about his condition, saying “I mean that” after expressing his gratitude for hosting the show.  

For the 155-IQ billionaire, however, his condition has been far from a hindrance in any field of his success, as he has made a larger-than-life name in the industries of space innovation, electric transportation, and stock market advances. Musk became the first ever host of SNL with Asperger’s, or at least “the first to admit it,” according to him. 

As host, Musk appeared in every skit, displaying his never-before-seen range of acting abilities across multiple different characters. From playing Wario from the Super Mario Brothers franchise to many different variations of his own personality: a space chief, stockbroker, and socially-awkward relative at a family reunion. 

The most impactful of his roles, however, was his appearance as “Lloyd Ostertag”, a financial expert answering questions from his cohosts about trending cryptocurrencies such as Ethereum, Bitcoin, and Dogecoin.  He was repeatedly asked the question: “What is Dogecoin?” as a nod to the common confusion among non-investors surrounding cryptocurrencies. With a world of investors watching, Musk referred to Dogecoin as a “hustle”, effectively tanking the stock shortly after, despite the context of the entire conversation being a skit. 

Aside from the expected stock market effects from Musk’s appearance, the show was an overall success, amassing 2 million viewers across a 12–hour span, a huge milestone of ratings for SNL ever since the beginning of the pandemic.