Elon Musk says he is ‘first person with Asperger’s’ to host SNL
DETROIT: US billionaire Elon Musk dropped a surprise early in his hotly anticipated turn as host of Saturday Night Live, opening his monologue by saying he "is the first person with Asperger's" to host the show, before clowning through skits for the first global live stream of the NBCUniversal comedy show.
The chief executive of Tesla Motors also made light of his tendency to speak in a monotone, adding: "I am pretty good at running human in emulation mode."
Asperger syndrome is a condition on the autism spectrum that is associated with difficulty in social interaction.
Throughout the show, Mr Musk, 49, gently poked fun at himself, including his penchant for provocative tweets.
He said: "To anyone I have offended I just want to say, I reinvented electric cars and I am sending people to Mars on a rocket ship.
"Did you think I would be a chill, normal dude?"
Mr Musk's appearance also boosted NBCUniversal, which used his global celebrity - and the controversy surrounding his appearance on a stage normally reserved for film stars or professional comedians - to get attention for launching the Saturday Night Live franchise beyond the confines of broadcast television.
The media company said that Saturday's show was streamed live via YouTube to more than 100 countries. - REUTERS
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