Elon Musk reveals he has Asperger’s in ‘SNL’ appearance

Tech entrepreneur and Tesla CEO Elon Musk on Saturday, May 8, US time, revealed that he has Asperger’s syndrome.

He says he is “the first person with Asperger’s” to host the comedy show, with the audience responding with loud cheers, the BBC reported.

The news site quoted Musk in his opening monologue: “I don’t always have a lot of intonation or variation in how I speak… which I’m told makes for great comedy.”

“I’m actually making history tonight as the first person with Asperger’s to host SNL.” Asperger’s is sometimes referred to as high-functioning autism.

Some have objected to the claim, saying that Dan Aykroyd was the first. The Ghostbusters actor hosted the show in 2003, and had previously talked about his experience with Asperger’s and Tourette syndrome.

In a 2013 interview with the Daily Mail, Aykroyd said:

“I also have Asperger’s but I can manage it. It wasn’t diagnosed until the early eighties when my wife persuaded me to see a doctor. One of my symptoms included my obsession with ghosts and law enforcement – I carry around a police badge with me, for example. I became obsessed by Hans Holzer, the greatest ghost hunter ever. That’s when the idea of my film Ghostbusters was born.”

The Musk episode is the first of the show to be livestreamed globally through YouTube to over 100 countries.

“To anyone I’ve offended I just want to say, I reinvented electric cars and I’m sending people to Mars on a rocket ship. Did you think I would be a chill, normal dude?” Musk also joked in his monologue.

Proving his point, Musk also joked about the name of his son born last year. The son’s actual name: X Æ A-12 Musk.

Musk’s joke? “It’s pronounced cat running across keyboard.” – Rappler.com