Kimmel Mocks Elon Musk Amid Tesla Vandalism Outrage

LOS ANGELES, Calif. — Late-night host Jimmy Kimmel has continued to draw attention to ongoing controversies surrounding Tesla and its CEO, Elon Musk, amid reports of vandalism and recalls impacting the electric vehicle manufacturer.

During his March 20 monologue, Kimmel highlighted the recent chaos surrounding Tesla, stating, “Tesla is not having a good week. Today they issued a recall of nearly all 46,000 of their Cybertrucks. That’s the eighth Cybertruck recall since they came out in November 2023. It’s 15 months — 8 recalls.”

Kimmel’s remarks come after multiple reports of Tesla vehicles being set ablaze, with authorities investigating the incidents. He humorously noted, “I mentioned last night multiple Teslas were burned at a Tesla facility in Las Vegas. Authorities are now investigating which Teslas were set on fire — and which set themselves on fire.”

The talk show host linked the unrest to public frustration with Musk, citing a perceived insensitivity regarding layoffs connected to government spending cuts. Kimmel remarked, “People are mad at Elon Musk for randomly and gleefully putting thousands of Americans out of work, including veterans.”

Kimmel’s criticism comes amid backlash from conservative commentators, who have condemned the protest actions against Tesla. Kimmel referenced Fox News host Sean Hannity, who labeled those protesting by vandalizing cars as “left-wing lunatics.” Kimmel quipped in response, “Right, right. But if you try to taser a cop on the steps of the Capitol, ‘We’ve got your back.'”

Despite the humor, Kimmel also addressed the safety concerns surrounding such acts of protest. He stated, “No one should be setting fires. You could kill somebody, you could hurt somebody. Elon Musk might not care about other people, but decent Americans should.”

Musk had previously commented on the vandalism, suggesting there might be a “mental illness” aspect at play regarding the protests against him and the company. Kimmel retorted, “When you pull out a chainsaw to celebrate firing thousands of people, they get mad.”

As the situation evolves, Tesla continues to deal with the fallout from these events, while Kimmel’s critique serves to amplify the national discourse surrounding Musk, corporate responsibility, and public sentiment.