Jeremy Culhane turned up on Saturday Night Live and got the assignment that mattered most: playing Elon Musk in a roast built around Weekend Update. The impression was strong enough to become the headline of the sketch, and the line that cut deepest was blunt enough to quote: “The worst thing South Africa has ever done.”
Weekend Update’s Musk target
The Elon Musk material centered on a direct attack, with Culhane portraying him as the butt of the joke rather than a distant punch line. That choice made the segment work on two levels: it leaned on the recognizable figure at the center of the Musk conversation, and it gave the show a clean, high-visibility impersonation to sell the joke inside a format that depends on fast recognition.
The setup also matters because the sketch was framed around Weekend Update, where the show usually needs a sharp premise, a fast read, and one clear target. Culhane’s turn fit that lane. It did not need a long runway or a subplot; it needed one strong impression and one line that landed before the segment moved on.
Jeremy Culhane gets the assignment
Culhane’s performance drew attention precisely because the show gave him a specific job instead of a broad comic cameo. On a live comedy show, that kind of slot can turn a supporting player into the face of a sketch for the night, especially when the joke is anchored to someone as instantly recognizable as Musk.
The impersonation angle also separated this from a generic celebrity gag. The point was not simply that Musk was mentioned; it was that Culhane had to inhabit him well enough for the roast to work. In this case, the performance itself became the news, not just the subject of the joke.
The line that landed
“The worst thing South Africa has ever done” is the kind of joke that leaves little ambiguity about the sketch’s target. It was the sharpest line attached to the bit, and it gave the segment a hard-edged closer rather than a soft parody beat. For viewers, that is the difference between a throwaway reference and a sketch that is built to be remembered.
The larger takeaway is simple: Culhane did what Saturday Night Live asks of a guest or featured performer in this kind of moment — make the impression readable, make the joke immediate, and get out before the pace drops. On a night built around a Musk roast, that is enough to make Jeremy Culhane the name attached to the segment.
