Britta Pedersen-Pool/Getty Images
- Elon Musk's critics piled on after he tweeted asking for skit ideas for his SNL appearance on May 8.
- Politicians, unions, and journalists on Twitter called on him to pay more tax, donate his wealth, and let staff unionize.
- Musk's ideas for his sketch included "Woke James Bond," "Irony Man," and "Baby Shark Tank."
- See more stories on Insider's business page.
Politicians and unions criticized Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk after he tweeted asking for sketch ideas ahead of his debut as a host of Saturday Night Live on 8 May.
"Throwing out some skit ideas for SNL. What should I do?" Musk posted on Twitter on Saturday.
In response to his request for comedy advice, Twitter users, including politicians, union groups, and journalists, suggested he should pay higher taxes and donate some of his wealth.
Rep. Pramila Jayapal retweeted Musk's post, saying "Pay your fair share of taxes."
-Rep. Pramila Jayapal (@RepJayapal) May 4, 2021
Meanwhile, progressive consumer rights advocacy group Public Citizen, also reshared the post, saying Musk should "do a skit where you donate the $126,000,000,000 you added to your wealth during the pandemic."
Musk is the second-richest person in the world with an estimated net worth of $184 billion, according to Bloomberg's Billionaire Index. His wealth more than quintupled during the COVID-19 pandemic - Insider reported in January that his net worth increased 545% from January 2020 to 2021. However, his wealth is primarily tied up in his companies.
Read more: Elon Musk's optimism is his most polarizing trait. Leaders everywhere should take note.
Twitter users took the opportunity to ridicule him for his riches after he asked for sketch suggestions.
Author Marianne Williamson replied to Musk's tweet, saying: "Announce that you're giving away half your fortune to help eradicate deep poverty, fight climate change and promote world peace."
-Marianne Williamson (@marwilliamson) May 2, 2021
American journalist Max Berger replied to Musk, saying he should "let your workers form a union."
The Workers First Agenda retweeted Musk's post, asking him to do a sketch on treating his staff with respect. "Then we will know you are acting," the union added.
-AFL-CIO // Pass the #PROAct (@AFLCIO) May 5, 2021
The Service Employees International Union also replied: "Let your workers form a union without trying to intimidate them," and linked a New York Times article about Tesla firing an employee for organizing a union, which the National Labor Relations Board ruled illegal in March.
The tycoon also received suggestions from other Twitter users about how his sketch should revolve around him denying the coronavirus pandemic.
Since the start of the pandemic, Musk has spread misinformation about coronavirus case numbers, calling the panic around the deadly virus "dumb" on March 6.
Karl Bode, journalist at VICE, replied to Musk's tweet with: "How about some hilarious Covid impact denialism."
Musk's own ideas for his sketch included "Woke James Bond" and "Irony Man" who "defeats villains using the power of irony."
The billionaire also suggested "Baby Shark & Shark Tank merge to form Baby Shark Tank."
NBC announced in late April that Musk would be hosting the May 8 episode of the long-running, late-night comedy show SNL. Donald Trump was invited to host the show in 2015, which brought the show's highest ratings in years.
