The Washington PostDemocracy Dies in Darkness

SNL announced Elon Musk as a host. The disgust on Twitter may be just what the show is after.

Elon Musk in Berlin last year. (Britta Pedersen/Pool/DPA/AP)
correction

An earlier version of this article incorrectly said that Elon Musk and Grimes are married. They are not. The article has been amended.

You’ve got to hand it to them. The folks at “Saturday Night Live” are so good at courting controversy, they’ve managed to do so again this weekend — despite the fact that the show’s on a three-week break.

On Saturday afternoon, NBC announced that billionaire Elon Musk will host the show on May 8 with Miley Cyrus as the musical guest. Soon thereafter, the Tesla CEO tweeted, “Am hosting SNL on May 8,” before weirdly adding, “Let’s find out just how live Saturday Night Live really is,” along with a purple devil emoji.