Elon Musk is facing tough times at Tesla, dealing with a drop in stock prices, vehicle recalls, and vandalism targeting his cars. On Thursday, he took to his social media platform, X, to fire back at comedian Jimmy Kimmel after Kimmel mocked Tesla’s recent challenges on his talk show, Jimmy Kimmel Live.
During his show, Kimmel joked, “Our co-president Elon Musk sent a Space-X vehicle to bring the astronauts back, and when they landed, he fired them immediately upon landing,” referring to Musk’s ongoing job cuts at Tesla’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Kimmel also mentioned the steep drop in Tesla’s stock value, which he called “almost disastrously low,” while joking about the recent incidents of Tesla vehicles being vandalized.
The audience responded with laughter and applause, but Kimmel’s comment about the vandalism, followed by a raised eyebrow toward the camera, sparked a strong response from Musk on X.
At the time, Tesla was recalling 46,000 Cybertrucks due to a cosmetic panel issue. The company’s stock has also fallen more than 53% since hitting record highs last December. In addition, several Tesla cars and charging stations across the country have been targeted by arsonists.
Musk expressed his shock over these incidents, calling them “shocking” and asserting, “I’ve never done anything harmful, I’ve only done productive things.” Despite facing criticism for his role as a senior advisor to former President Trump, Musk defended himself, saying, “It’s really come as quite a shock to me, this violence from the left.”
He added, “I thought the Democrats were supposed to be the party of empathy, the party of caring, and yet they’re burning down cars, and firing bullets into dealerships.”
In another blow to Tesla, the State Department canceled a $400 million contract for a fleet of armored Teslas after Musk became Trump’s advisor.
