Elon Musk Under Fire for Not Wearing Proper Face Mask Ahead of ‘SNL’ Episode

Elon Musk is hosting SNL this weekend, and the billionaire CEO has now found himself under fire for not wearing a proper face mask ahead of the new episode. The iconic sketch comedy show revealed a photo of Musk from the set, with the SpaceX leader donning a black bandana over his face rather than a traditional face mask. This sparked some backlash on social media, with many expressing their dissatisfaction at seeing him not wearing “a proper mask.”

“Damn, y’all not even making him wear a real mask,” one Twitter user wrote back. One user came to Musk’s defense, tweeting, “For everyone that say Elon isn’t using proper mask, that’s what I think too, he should wear what [the CDC] recommend to the people. But giving the fact that he was allowed to use that mask on [a] NASA conference (and when he was meeting with astronauts), maybe he’s already vaccinated.” Another user replied, “It doesn’t matter if someone is vaccinated—the vaccination just keeps you from getting deadly ill. You can still carry the virus and spread it to others.” At this time, Musk does not appear to have commented on the controversy.

It is correct that the CDC recommends wearing a mask that completely covers “the nose and mouth and fit snugly against the sides of the face without gaps.” In the event that someone is fully vaccinated, the CDC does still recommend proper mask-wearing. “You should still protect yourself and others in many situations by wearing a mask that fits snugly against the sides of your face and doesn’t have gaps,” the department states on its website.

The CDC urges everyone to “take this precaution” in a few different situations, such as where they are “in indoor public settings.” Those “gathering indoors with unvaccinated people (including children) from more than one other household” should also wear a properly fitting mask. The CDC also recommends still wearing a correctly placed mask if you are “visiting indoors with an unvaccinated person who is at increased risk of severe illness or death from COVID-19 or who lives with a person at increased risk.”

Finally, the CDC adds, “If you travel, you should still take steps to protect yourself and others. You will still be required to wear a mask on planes, buses, trains, and other forms of public transportation traveling into, within, or out of the United States, and in U.S. transportation hubs such as airports and stations. Fully vaccinated international travelers arriving in the United States are still required to get tested within 3 days of their flight (or show documentation of recovery from COVID-19 in the past 3 months) and should still get tested 3-5 days after their trip.”