In what can only be described as another chapter in Hollywood-meets-tech-drama, Alec Baldwin took his ongoing feud with Elon Musk to new heights during a live segment of The View on Tuesday. In true Baldwin fashion, the actor didn’t mince words, labeling the Tesla CEO a “scumbag” before launching into a tirade that left the hosts scrambling for their cue cards and the audience gasping for air.
The heated moment occurred when co-host Joy Behar innocuously asked Baldwin about his thoughts on the future of electric vehicles. Baldwin, barely able to conceal his disdain, pivoted sharply: “Let me tell you something about that scumbag Musk. The guy’s out here pretending he’s Tony Stark while running his little Twitter circus into the ground.” A palpable hush fell over the studio, broken only by the sound of Whoopi Goldberg’s muffled “Oh, no, he didn’t.
Baldwin’s remarks seemed to reignite a feud that, for most observers, had been dormant—or at least simmering quietly—since Musk’s 2021 Twitter jab likening Baldwin to a “method actor…in every sense of the word.” While the actor’s latest salvo was undeniably dramatic, it was Musk’s response that truly stole the show.
Minutes after Baldwin’s outburst, a producer handed Behar a tablet with a live tweet from Musk. The billionaire’s response was characteristically pointed: “Baldwin’s career is electric…as in, it’s shocking it’s still running. Good luck with that. #StayMadBro.” The audience erupted into laughter as Baldwin visibly seethed, muttering something unintelligible about “space junk.”
The tension in the room was undeniable, with the co-hosts attempting to steer the conversation back to safer ground. But by then, the damage was done. The Internet, as expected, wasted no time turning the spat into a meme fest. One Twitter user posted a mock movie poster titled Battle of the Egos: Electric Boogaloo, while another suggested the two “settle it in a Tesla-powered slap fight.”
Neither Baldwin nor Musk is a stranger to public controversies, but their peculiar rivalry has a uniquely absurd quality. Baldwin, the actor known for his fiery temperament and a string of public gaffes, and Musk, the tech mogul-slash-social media provocateur, seem tailor-made to clash. And clash they did, providing a level of entertainment that no superhero movie or Mars-bound rocket launch could rival.
As the credits roll on this latest drama, one thing is certain: Baldwin and Musk are unlikely to let bygones be bygones. Whether their next skirmish involves an SNL sketch, a Tesla flamethrower, or a SpaceX rocket aimed at Baldwin’s Malibu home, audiences everywhere will be tuning in, popcorn in hand.
