Nintendo was reportedly unhappy with Elon Musk’s Saturday Night Live 2021 sketch in which he played Wario.
In 2021, Elon Musk starred in a Saturday Night Live sketch where he played Wario. The infamous Nintendo character took the stand in a courtroom, where he was accused of murdering everyone’s favorite plumber, Mario. The skit was poorly received online and, apparently, by Nintendo itself. Kit Ellis and Krysta Yang, two former Nintendo PR executives, revealed on a recent episode of their YouTube show that the SNL skit “didn’t go over well” with Nintendo at the time.
The two broached the topic following the recent Saturday Night Live sketch in which The Legend of Zelda protagonist Link and GTA 6’s Jason Duvall battled over who would have the better game. The sketch largely mocked The Legend of Zelda while trying to make GTA 6 seem like the “cooler” game, which itself led to mixed reactions online. Still, Ellis and Yang think it probably turned out better than Musk’s sketch.
The two recalled being at Nintendo when the skit aired and said it was “not liked.” Ellis went on to note that the sketch was also oddly timed, as there wasn’t even a new Wario game or product at the time this happened. He went on to say that the skit was also “uncomfortable” for Nintendo, likely referring to some of the sketch’s more risky jokes. The SNL crew made jokes about Mario doing cocaine, Luigi sleeping with Princess Peach, and featured a video of Luigi’s censored penis. It was… interesting, to say the least.
Naturally, it’s understandable that Nintendo wasn’t thrilled about its family characters being portrayed as sexual deviants. SNL has parodied Nintendo on several occasions, including a sketch featuring a dark, realistic version of Mario Kart, heavily inspired by HBO’s adaptation of The Last of Us.
Cade Onder is a freelancer for IGN’s news team. It covers all things entertainment, including games, movies, and more. You can find him on Twitter @Cade_Onder.
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