Elon Musk's Wario SNL Skit 'Did Not Go Over Well' With Nintendo, According to Ex

Key Points:

• Nintendo was reportedly unhappy with Elon Musk's 2021 Saturday Night Live sketch in which he played the character Wario, as revealed by former Nintendo PR managers Kit Ellis and Krysta Yang.
• The sketch, which featured Wario on trial for murdering Mario, was poorly received online and by Nintendo, partly due to its risqué jokes and inappropriate portrayal of family-friendly characters.
• The timing of the sketch was also criticized since there was no new Wario game or product release at the time, making the parody feel out of place for Nintendo.
• Ellis and Yang compared this to a more recent SNL sketch featuring The Legend of Zelda and GTA 6 characters, suggesting the latter was likely better received despite mixed online reactions.
• Nintendo has been parodied multiple times on SNL, including a dark, gritty Mario Kart sketch inspired by HBO’s The Last of Us, showing the network’s ongoing interest in Nintendo properties despite occasional controversy.