Elon Musk claims to be the first person with Autism Spectrum Disorder (or ASD) to host Saturday Night Live, but in doing so he erased the inimitable Dan Aykroyd, who was on the show as a long time writer, cast member, and host in 2003. Aykroyd discussed his own ASD diagnosis in an audio interview with Terry Gross at NPR in 2004. In the hours following Musk's performance on Saturday Night Live, Twitter and the news jumped in to correct his mistake.
There was already some controversy surrounding SNL's announcement that Musk would host the May 8th, 2021 Mother's Day episode. CNN detailed some of the Space X and Tesla founder's past statements undermining the government's response to COVID-19, thanking Trump for praising him on Twitter, and being insensitive to the transgender community. Beyond these comments, Musk's infamous billionaire status and lack of performing experience made him an unexpected choice to host the long-standing comedy show. Some accused SNL of a ratings grab, which seems to have borne out in the early ratings figures as reported by Deadline. After Musk's opening monologue however, the controversy turned in a different direction.
Among the responses to his monologue were those who pointed out Aykroyd also has Autism Spectrum Disorder. Aykroyd is perhaps best-known for co-writing and starring in Ghostbusters, which he said in a 2013 Daily Mail interview came from his obsession with ghosts and law enforcement - one of the symptoms that led to his Autism Spectrum Disorder diagnosis. He was also a writer on SNL and a member of the original cast in its first four seasons from 1975 to 1979. On SNL, Aykroyd was beloved for his impersonating talent and his recurring characters such as the Blues Brothers duo alongside castmate John Belushi, which went on to become the 1980 film The Blues Brothers.
Early on in his SNL monologue, Musk celebrated being the first person with ASD to host the show, saying he was "actually making history tonight as the first person with Asperger's to host SNL." He went on to add "or at least the first to admit it." While it's important to bring visibility to neurodiversity and Autism Spectrum Disorder, in doing so Musk overlooked Aykroyd, who had hosted the show in 2003. To further add to the controversy, Musk used the term "Asperger's" which is considered defunct since it was removed from the newest edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) in 2013 and is associated with Dr. Asperger's ties to the Nazi regime in Vienna (as detailed by Vox). However, it's important to note that both Musk and Aykroyd have used the terminology themselves after the clinical decision on the term was made, with some electing to do so.
The controversy over Musk's erroneous "first" is not the first time a high-profile personality claimed a mistaken "first" (as when Sam Smith claimed to be the first openly gay man to win an Oscar award), and it highlights the importance of accurate representation without erasure. Aykroyd may not have been public or outspoken about his Autism Spectrum Disorder at the time he appeared on Saturday Night Live, but it's a diagnosis he has carried with him throughout his career and makes him the real first person with ASD to host SNL.