The ongoing exchange between Stephen King and Elon Musk took an unexpected turn on Thursday, when the two pitted themselves against each other to see who could tell the better jokes.
Author King has been a frequent critic of Musk since the billionaire businessman bought Twitter in 2022 and subsequently renamed it X. Musk has been known to respond publicly when King mentions him or his platform.
When King posted a joke to his X account this week, the two turned their verbal exchange into an informal competition to guess which one was funnier.
While posting the joke on his timeline, King wrote, “An Italian chef has passed away. I would say a pasta chef. Can Elon make that joke? I don’t think so.”
An Italian chef has passed away. You could say he was a pasta master.
Can Elon make a joke like that?
No, I don’t think so.
โ Stephen King (@StephenKing) July 25, 2024
King also showed off her comedic talents by sharing a post which read, “I dated an apostrophe in high school but he was too possessive. Thank you ladies and germs. I’m so grateful.”
Responding to the challenge less than an hour later, Musk responded with a joke.
“What do you call a Great Dane in a little village eating a little ham?” the Tesla CEO asked. “What do you call a hamlet in a little village eating a hamlet?”
What do you call a Great Dane eating a little ham in a small village?
Hamlet eats villages within villages.
โ Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 25, 2024
Just to be on the safe side, Musk responded to King with another joke:
Read the joke in question: “My roommate says I’m a paranoid schizophrenic. Are you kidding me, I don’t have a roommate!”
My roommate says I have paranoid schizophrenia. Are you kidding me, I don’t have a roommate!
โ Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 25, 2024
While the two appeared to be engaging in a light-hearted exchange, one X user took issue with King’s challenge to Musk’s wit, writing: “Unlike you, @elonmusk is actually pretty funny. Think twice.”
When Musk first bought X, he arrived at the company’s San Francisco headquarters with a sink in hand, and he captioned a photo of the moment with, “Walking into Twitter HQ — get that feeling!”
“Oh no!” King responded to the X-users’ criticism.
On Wednesday, King received a response from Musk after he reiterated his opposition to Twitter’s rebranding to X.
He wrote: “Twitter, Twitter, Twitter. Sorry, Elon. You bought it. You’re stuck with it.”
The post caught the attention of Musk, who responded by saying, “Saying their deadnames hurts our feelings.”
The term “deadname” is often used to refer to a name that a transgender person was given at birth but no longer wishes to be called by that name.
In November 2022, just weeks after Musk officially acquired X, King expressed dissatisfaction with the direction of the microblogging platform.
“I think Elon Musk is a visionary,” King wrote. “He’s almost singlehandedly changed the way Americans think about cars. I own a Tesla and love it. That said, he’s not great on Twitter at all. He seems to make things up haphazardly.”
Business tycoon Elon Musk and author Stephen King got into an argument on Thursday over who could tell a better joke. Business tycoon Elon Musk and author Stephen King got into an argument on Thursday over who could tell a better joke. Steve Granitz/FilmMagic;/Astrid Stawiarz/Getty Images
“Suggestions are welcome, mister. [King]Musk responded by substituting a crown emoji for King’s last name.
Another user tweeted that Musk should invite King to X’s headquarters in San Francisco to “talk in person,” to which Musk simply replied, “You’re invited!”
Musk has made multiple comments about himself and X as a whole in response to King’s posts about X. “I think I liked Twitter better before Musk took over. It was less contentious and more fun,” the poster wrote a few days after the CEO took over at X.
The shop owner jokingly replied with a ghost emoji: “I’m still a fan of yours [to be honest]” Musk said in a subsequent post. King reportedly did not respond, and Musk later deleted the comment.
In November 2022, Musk reiterated his respect for King in an X post, saying the renowned author is “one of the most creative people on the planet. I don’t agree with everything he says, but I actually want to listen to what he has to say.”
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom, seeking common ground and finding connections.