Los Angeles, CA — In what many are calling one of the most brutal and unexpected on-air takedowns in recent memory, comedians Desi Lydic and Jimmy Kimmel teamed up during a live late-night segment that tore into billionaire Elon Musk — and didn’t hold back.

The moment, which aired on Jimmy Kimmel Live! and quickly went viral, featured a blend of biting satire, factual critique, and outright mockery of Musk’s recent controversies, particularly his erratic leadership of X (formerly Twitter), his “America Party” political ambitions, and his personal scandals involving alleged NDAs and secret children.

Within hours, social media lit up. Hashtags like #MuskMeltdown, #DesiVsElon, and #KimmelKillsMusk trended on X — ironically, the very platform under Musk’s ownership.

But behind the comedy lies a deeper story: a public turning point for a man once hailed as a visionary — and now increasingly portrayed as a punchline.

The Segment That Set the Internet on Fire

The July 6th segment opened innocently enough: a joint sketch between Kimmel and Lydic (currently a correspondent on The Daily Show), parodying billionaire tech CEOs.

But just minutes in, the jokes sharpened, and the target became unmistakable: Elon Musk.

Desi Lydic, adopting a mock-serious tone, said:

“We used to dream of going to Mars with Elon. Now we’d be lucky to get through a tweet without seeing him argue with a teenager in all caps.”

Kimmel followed:

“The guy built rockets, reinvented electric cars… and then bought Twitter just so he could ban journalists and promote conspiracy memes at 3 AM.”

The audience roared.

But the segment took a darker turn when the pair dove into Musk’s recent political and personal controversies.

“He says he’s saving democracy with the ‘America Party,’” Lydic said. “Which is rich — coming from someone who thinks ‘free speech’ means letting Nazis trend, but banning anyone who says his car doors fall off.”

They then aired a fake campaign ad for Musk’s America Party, filled with slogans like:

“One man. One billion dollars. Zero accountability.”

“Vote Musk: Because nothing says ‘liberty’ like algorithmic rage-bait.”

 

 

Why It Hit So Hard — And So Fast

While comedians frequently mock public figures, this segment struck a nerve because it wasn’t just funny — it was well-researched and brutal.

Lydic referenced:

The declining user base on X since Musk’s takeover.

The rise of hate speech and propaganda under relaxed moderation policies.

The $44 billion price tag Musk paid for Twitter — now valued at less than half.

Recent reports about Musk’s alleged private paternity settlements, including the Ashley St. Clair scandal.

 

Kimmel added:

“You know you’re in trouble when your PR strategy is: ‘I had kids with someone I can’t name, paid them $2.5 million, and I’m the victim.’”

The segment ended with Lydic asking:

“When exactly did Elon Musk go from Tony Stark to your weird libertarian uncle who won’t stop sending you links to UFO sightings and ivermectin recipes?”

Public Reaction: “Someone Finally Said It”

The response was swift — and passionate.

Fans of Lydic and Kimmel praised the segment as “cathartic,” with one post reading:

“This is the roast we needed. Finally someone with a platform is calling Musk out for being a walking contradiction.”

Critics of Musk on X called it “long overdue,” while others celebrated the moment as a cultural shift — a sign that even mainstream media figures are turning away from idolizing billionaires.

But the backlash from Musk’s supporters was equally fierce.

Popular conservative influencer Benny Johnson called the segment “leftist propaganda,” claiming it was an “orchestrated attack by the media elite” against a man “challenging the system.”

Others pointed to Kimmel’s past controversies — including offensive jokes and political bias — as proof that “Hollywood” was hypocritically targeting Musk for speaking “truth to power.”

Musk Responds: “Late-Night Losers”

Musk, never one to stay quiet, responded the next morning with a series of posts on X:

“I must be doing something right if washed-up late-night hosts and fake journalists are obsessed with me. Cry harder.”

He then shared a meme of a “Daily Show” logo photoshopped to say “The Dated Show,” and another calling Kimmel “Disney’s puppet in a suit.”

However, he notably avoided addressing the core points raised — including platform mismanagement, political ambition hypocrisy, and legal controversy.

Is the Public Finally Turning on Musk?

Once widely viewed as a messianic figure of innovation, Elon Musk’s public image has shifted dramatically over the past two years.

Recent polls show:

Trust in Musk among U.S. adults has dropped from 48% in 2022 to just 27% in mid-2025.

Among Gen Z voters, 56% now associate Musk more with “chaos” than “innovation.”

X’s monthly active user count has dropped 22% since 2023, according to internal estimates leaked to TechCrunch.

 

Analysts believe that Musk’s increasing alignment with culture war politics, online provocations, and conspiracy-laced rhetoric has alienated moderates and technocrats alike.

“He still commands loyalty from anti-establishment and libertarian corners,” says political analyst Jasmine Ortega. “But to the mainstream? He’s become unpredictable, and worse — untrustworthy.”

Comedy as Cultural Barometer

It’s worth noting that late-night comedy has long been a cultural weather vane in American politics and public opinion.

When David Letterman turned on George W. Bush in 2006, it marked a broader shift in public patience with the Iraq War.

When Jon Stewart relentlessly mocked CNN and Fox News, public trust in cable news began to erode.

Now, with Kimmel and Lydic turning Musk into a punchline, some say this may mark the beginning of Musk’s post-icon era.

 

“When comedians start laughing at you, not with you — the mystique is gone,” Ortega added. “And Musk’s greatest asset has always been mystique.”

Conclusion: A Joke That Might Just Stick

Desi Lydic and Jimmy Kimmel didn’t just land a joke — they may have landed a cultural knockout.

While Musk’s influence remains massive, the segment crystallized a growing sentiment: that the billionaire once viewed as a genius disrupter has perhaps become the very thing he set out to replace — bloated with ego, insulated from criticism, and increasingly disconnected from reality.

The laughter may have echoed from a studio in Hollywood — but its impact is being felt across boardrooms, platforms, and maybe even Mars.