Woody Harrelson’s opening monologue during “Saturday Night Live,” where he referenced the COVID-19 pandemic and collaboration between the medical industry and the government to push vaccines, has sparked backlash online. And Twitter CEO Elon Musk chimed in on the discussion.
Closing out the segment, Harrelson talks about a film pitch that included one of the “craziest script” he’s read, which included the “biggest drug cartels” forcing people to remain in their homes unless they agreed to take and keep taking their drugs.
“So the movie goes like this,” the actor explained. “The biggest drug cartels in the world get together and buy up all the media and all the politicians and force all the people in the world to stay locked in their homes. And people can only come out if they take the cartel’s drugs and keep taking them over and over.”
Harrelson then joked: “I threw the script away. I mean, who was going to believe that crazy idea? Being forced to do drugs? I do that voluntarily all day.”
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Woody Harrelson, Jack White Episode 1839 — Pictured: Host Woody Harrelson during Promos in Studio 8H on Tuesday, February 21, 2023 (Rosalind OConnor/NBC via Getty Images)
The comments were widely covered by media outlets, who called them “anti-vax” or “vax conspiracies.”
Several people on social media continued the conversation — with many people agreeing with the actor — then Musk chimed in.
“So based. Nice work,” Musk responded.
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In another tweet, Musk suggested the comments were spot on and reflective of life in the U.S. over the last few years.
When one Twitter user warned for people to “get ready for the meltdowns,” Musk said: “Maybe they [media outlets] don’t realize that their propaganda is wrong?”
Also on Saturday, Musk shared a Babylon Bee article about 26% of Americans that “still trust the media.”
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Harrelsons’ opening monologue included remarks about political division and he described himself as a “redneck hippie.”
“You know, the red in me thinks you should be allowed to own guns,” he said. “The blue in me thinks – squirt guns. So, I’m red and blue which makes purple. I’m purple.”
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He also made a mention to smoking weed and made a joke about why he prefers it to drinking alcohol.
Actor Woody Harrelson attends the game between the Los Angeles Clippers and the Atlanta Hawks at State Farm Arena on January 28, 2023, in Atlanta, Georgia. (Paras Griffin/Getty Images)
“The reason I like herb more than alcohol is because it makes me feel good, no hangovers and I never wake up covered in blood,” he said.
Harrelson’s appearance was his fifth time hosting “SNL,” which, like many companies across the country, observe stringent COVID-related health safety protocols at a time when governments were enacting lockdowns.
Woody Harrelson, Jack White Episode 1839 — Pictured: (l-r) Musical Guest Jack White, Host Woody Harrelson, and Chloe Fineman during Promos in Studio 8H on Thursday, February 23, 2023 (Rosalind OConnor/NBC via Getty Images)
Later in the show, Scarlett Johansson gave Harrelson a five-timers club jacket.
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His last appearance on the NBC comedy show was on Thanksgiving 2019, before COVID-lockdowns were in place.
Fox News’ Andrew Mark Miller contributed to this report.
