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Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
Entertainment
Christi Carras

Elon Musk, Person of the Year? He 'could really use an ego boost,' jokes Trevor Noah

Many have disagreed with Time magazine's recent decision to name Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk its 2021 Person of the Year.

But "Daily Show" host Trevor Noah is "so happy for him."

"The guy could really use an ego boost," the comedian joked about the famously self-important billionaire.

"I mean, richest man in the world who also controls space, crypto and electric cars. ... Who would even be second place? Like, maybe Pete Davidson?"

Noah was one of several late-night TV hosts who couldn't help but make fun of Time's latest POTY recipient on their respective programs Monday.

The magazine's lengthy cover story on the tech mogul touted Musk's advancements in space exploration and clean energy vehicles, as well as his immense Twitter clout — which has been known to influence the American economy.

The emcees' opening monologues came hours after hordes of critics on social media opposed Time's choice — citing various controversies linking Musk to racial discrimination lawsuits, sexual harassment allegations and union-busting schemes.

"Musk received the honor for his work in space exploration and after he bought 10 million subscriptions to Time Magazine," Jimmy Fallon quipped on "The Tonight Show."

"I'm kidding, although it was a little strange that everyone at Time drove into work today in a brand-new Tesla."

On "Jimmy Kimmel Live!," the veteran comic pointed out that the grand title "isn't necessarily a compliment," considering "Adolf Hitler and Donald Trump were also named Person of the Year."

"Time is basically your dad watching a bad Super Bowl commercial and going, 'Hey, love him or hate him, we're all talking about him, right?'" Kimmel said.

Meanwhile, on "Late Night," Seth Meyers took a dig at Musk's excessive wealth, which has made him a poster child for the progressive "tax the rich" movement.

"He was gonna go out and buy a copy [of Time magazine], but then he realized he'd have to pay taxes on it," Meyers said.

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