Get Ready to Be Amazed: See Elon Musk’s Hilarious and Surprising Cameos in 11 TV Shows and Movies
Elon Musk is known for being a successful entrepreneur in the tech industry, but he’s also made a name for himself in Hollywood. Before becoming one of the world’s wealthiest men, Musk was already a well-known personality in the entertainment industry.
According to Ashlee Vance, author of “Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future,” “He was a curiosity and a bauble when he first moved because there were no tech kingpins in LA.”
Musk has a number of connections in Hollywood, including being close friends with Ari Emanuel, CEO of Endeavor and inspiration behind the character Ari Gold on HBO’s “Entourage.” He’s also known to be friends with comedian Nathan Fielder and the creators of “Rick and Morty.”
Even though he sold his last house in California in 2021, Musk’s impact on the entertainment industry remains. Check out his 11 cameos in movies and TV shows, listed in chronological order.
“Iron Man 2” featured a cameo from Elon Musk, who served as inspiration for the film’s portrayal of Tony Stark, along with Steve Jobs and Donald Trump.
“Iron Man 2” featured a cameo from tech mogul Elon Musk, who served as inspiration for the film’s depiction of Tony Stark, alongside Steve Jobs and Donald Trump.
In the scene, Musk plays himself and shares an idea for an electric jet with Tony Stark, played by Robert Downey Jr. “Iron Man” writer Mark Fergus describes Musk as having “the fun factor and the celebrity vibe and actual business substance” that made him the perfect inspiration for the character of Tony Stark.
In 2013, Musk made a cameo as himself in the film “Machete Kills,” a comedy action movie.
In 2013, Musk made a cameo appearance in the action-comedy “Machete Kills,” playing himself. The film, which stars Danny Trejo as the eponymous machete-wielding ex-federal agent, sets up a potential third film in the franchise, “Machete Kills Again…In Space,” which unfortunately never came to fruition.
In the movie, Machete is on a mission to take down the villainous billionaire Voz, played by Mel Gibson. In a short scene, Musk is seen shaking Machete’s hand before the latter embarks on a SpaceX rocket to chase Voz into space. The screenwriter of the film, Robert Rodriguez, has said that the character of Voz was loosely based on Musk, inspired by a meeting he had with the billionaire at a Hollywood party. Additionally, Musk’s former girlfriend Amber Heard also appears in the film.
In 2014, the movie “Transcendence” featured a cameo appearance from Elon Musk, along with Johnny Depp.
In the 2014 science-fiction thriller “Transcendence,” Musk makes a brief cameo as an attendee at a conference on artificial intelligence. The film, starring Johnny Depp as Dr. Will Caster, explores the potential uses of AI to improve human lives.
In real life, Musk is a vocal proponent of AI and has been involved in its development through companies like OpenAI and Tesla, as well as announcing plans for an autonomous robot named “Optimus.” However, he has also warned of the potential dangers of AI and has called it the “biggest existential threat” to humanity.
Musk has made several cameos as himself in the popular animated series “South Park.”
Musk made his first appearance on the animated comedy show “South Park” in the episode “Handicar,” which aired in 2014. In the episode, he hosts a Tesla event that is overshadowed by a rival business, Handicar. The Tesla CEO subsequently challenges the owner of Handicar to a fundraising competition, which leads to his Tesla being run off the road. Eventually, Musk decides to buy Handicar for $2.3 billion.
He also made a second cameo on the show in the episode “Members Only,” which aired in 2016, in which he is shown leading a tour around SpaceX and foiling Butters’ plans to escape to Mars. Additionally, he has made appearances in the episodes “Not Funny” and “The End of Serialization as We Know It” at the SpaceX headquarters. After his first appearance on the show in 2014, Musk tweeted about his experience.
In 2015, Musk had a prominent role in an episode of “The Simpsons” titled “The Musk who Fell to Earth.”
In the episode titled “The Musk who Fell to Earth” of “The Simpsons”, a cartoon version of Elon Musk lands a spacecraft in the Simpsons’ backyard. The episode features a storyline in which Homer and his antics inspire Musk to come up with new inventions, but ultimately causes chaos in Springfield with his attempts to electrify the town.
The episode ends with Homer and Musk’s friendship falling apart, and Musk leaving on his spaceship to the tune of David Bowie’s “Starman.” According to the show’s executive producer, Al Jean, Musk was open to making fun of himself and was given the opportunity to read the entire script before airing. Jean also stated that the episode was not meant to be a “kiss-ass” gesture towards the billionaire.
In 2015, Musk also made a cameo appearance on “The Big Bang Theory,” a TV show that he is a fan of.
In “The Platonic Permutation,” Musk made a cameo appearance as himself, where he met Howard Wolowitz, portrayed by Simon Helberg, at a soup kitchen. The two shared their passion for space exploration, with Howard expressing his desire to be adopted by Musk or to be taken on a trip to Mars.
Elon Musk made a cameo appearance in the romantic comedy film “Why Him?” in 2016.
Musk made a cameo appearance in the 2016 romantic comedy film “Why Him?”, which features James Franco, Bryan Cranston, and Zoey Deutch as lead actors. He can be seen in a party scene, where he is mingling with Steve Aoki and other guests. In the scene, Cranston’s character Ned approaches Musk at the bar and starts a conversation with him, and Musk enquires if Ned is in the car business.
Elon Musk made a cameo appearance on the “The Big Bang Theory” spin-off “Young Sheldon” in 2017.
In the “Young Sheldon” episode titled “A Patch, a Modem, and a Zantac,” Musk makes a cameo appearance. The episode features Sheldon presenting his idea for a reusable rocket in an elementary school class, with the teacher dismissing it.
However, Musk’s appearance reveals that the billionaire was able to successfully land a Falcon 9 rocket using ideas from Sheldon’s childhood notebook.
Elon Musk made a cameo appearance as an extraterrestrial in the 2019 film “Men in Black
In the fourth installment of the “Men in Black” franchise, Musk appears in a small role as an alien on a surveillance monitor at the organization’s headquarters. Although his appearance is similar to his real-life self, the Alien Surveillance System identifies him as a “Nakkadan” alien species. Other notable appearances on the Alien Surveillance System include Ariana Grande and Donald Grover.
Musk appeared in a “Rick and Morty” episode in 2019
In the episode “One Crew over the Crewcoo’s Morty” of the TV show “Rick and Morty”, an alternate version of Elon Musk, called “Elon Tusk,” makes an appearance. The character is similar to Musk but has a distinct feature of having long front teeth. The story follows Rick seeking help from Tusk at his factory “Tuskla,” as the Musk in his reality is portrayed as controlling.
Tusk agrees to assist Rick and Morty, leading to a series of chaotic events. Elon Musk, a known fan of the show and friend of the creators Dan Harmon and Justin Roiland, recently spoke in defense of Roiland after he was cut from the show due to domestic abuse allegations. Musk referred to Roiland as “the heart of the show.”
