Bowen Yang ignited a Saturday Night Live (SNL) mystery two months ago when he faced Andy Cohen on Watch What Happens Live. During a thrilling round of “Truth or Kink,” Cohen prodded Yang to unveil, anonymously, the worst hosting behavior he had witnessed during his tenure on the NBC sketch comedy show. Yang, while keeping names under wraps, painted a vivid picture. “This individual—this host—caused multiple cast members to shed tears on Wednesday, prior to the table read, solely because he despised their ideas,” he revealed. Since then, fans and online detectives have flooded comment sections with speculative theories about the culprit.
On Monday, part of the enigma was unveiled. Current cast member Chloe Fineman bravely raised her hand, acknowledging that she was one of those cast members who had cried. She made this revelation amidst Elon Musk's scathing criticism of SNL for its portrayal of him and President-elect Donald Trump on Saturday's episode.
“I just came across an article about Elon Musk being all bent out of shape over SNL and his impression,” Fineman began in the clip. “But, like, you're clearly watching the show, so what are you even talking about? And you know what? I'm finally coming out and saying that I'm the cast member he made cry. He's the host who made someone weep.”
Fineman hinted at the coverage that followed Yang's appearance on Watch What Happens Live with his Las Culturistas co-host Matt Rogers, noting that she had seen “some articles and stuff” about the situation. “I was hesitant to speak up. But if you're gonna go on your platform [X] and act rude, guess what? You made me, Chloe Fineman, burst into tears after staying up late to write a sketch. I was so excited, I came in, asked if you had any questions, and you stared at me like you were firing me from Tesla, saying, ‘It's not funny,’” she recounted.
Fineman continued her narrative: “I waited for you to say, ‘Ha ha, just kidding.’ But no, you started flipping through my script, page by page, saying, ‘I didn't laugh once, not even once.’” Despite the lack of laughter, the sketch made it to the Musk-fronted show, and “it was fine,” she added. “I actually had a great time and thought you were really funny in it. But, come on, have a little manners…sir.”
While Fineman didn't disclose the sketch's title, it has been reported that she was referring to “The Oooli Show.” In the skit, Musk portrays Ragnarok, a bespectacled producer who repeatedly tries to capture the attention of Ooli (Fineman), Iceland's “number one social media star” and the eccentric host of a pop culture TV show on Icelandic Public Television.
Fineman posted the TikTok clip on Monday afternoon, which remained on her account for several hours. However, as of 6:20 p.m. PT, she had deleted the video. THR reached out to representatives for Fineman and Musk for further comment, but it was Musk himself who addressed the situation late Monday night, responding to this reporter's post on X, the platform he owns.
“Frankly, it was only on the Thursday before the Saturday that ANY of the sketches elicited laughter. I was worried,” Musk replied. “I thought, damn, my SNL appearance is going to be so unfunny that it will make a crackhead sober! But then it all worked out in the end,” he added, sharing a YouTube link to his appearance at the All-In Summit in September.
