“Everybody has a plan until they get punched in the face,” quipped Trevor Noah while discussing the turbulent few weeks Elon Musk has endured since he finalised his purchase of Twitter.

I think it’s safe to say that things haven’t quite gone according to plan for the South African-born billionaire as rattled advertisers express concern about the future of the app and celebrities quit the platform.

Noah then pointed out that Musk had arrived advocating for fun and free speech on Twitter before he turned around and banned a handful of users who had changed their Twitter handles to Elon Musk parodies.

“What’s happening with Elon Musk is a wonderful microcosm to show you how quickly people will abandon what they say is a principle when things aren’t going their way. Everyone thinks jokes are fun until jokes are about them.”

Musk has gone from a media darling to a villain in next to no time. It wasn’t that long ago that he was viewed as somewhat of a celebrity magnet, frequently drawing adulation from the who’s who of Hollywood.

Just this May he was the darling of the Met Gala, which he attended with his mom, Maye Musk.

At the gala, Musk was pictured chatting away with the likes of former power couple Kim Kardashian and Pete Davidson. Kim’s mom, Kris Jenner, even took a moment to spruce up Musk’s skew bow tie on the red carpet.

In the past, even fellow celebrity billionaire entrepreneurs like Richard Branson, Larry Ellison, Mark Cuban, Donald Trump and Bill Gates have all heaped praise on the Tesla and SpaceX CEO. Cuban and Trump have gone so far as to refer to him as a true genius, with Trump adding that he had to be protected at all costs.

“Breaking Bad” star Aaron Paul called him, “probably the most important entrepreneur on the planet”.

Other celebrities to fawn over him (or his work with Tesla and SpaceX) include Jaden Smith, Joe Rogan, Cedric The Entertainer, Just Blaze and Tyler Case.

Musk has also embraced his celebrity by dating some gorgeous actresses, like Talulah Riley, whom he twice married and divorced, and Amber Heard, who he briefly dated in 2017.

What’s more, tons of popular rap songs make mention of and use the maverick entrepreneur’s successful business exploits as punchlines.

Lil Uzi Vert and Pharrell’s 2017 hit single, “Neon Guts”, which is a celebration of the high life, references Musk in its catchy chorus: “Higher than Elon Musk, so high stars eat our dust, and I got a colorful aura like I got neon guts.”

Even South Africa’s very own rap star Da LES has a summer anthem with Focalistic titled “Elon Musk”.

AE News