Jimmy Kimmel has taken aim at Elon Musk for his attacks on Christopher Nolan’s casting of Lupita Nyong’o in The Odysseytelling the tech billionaire to “stay in his lane” during a spot segment on his late-night show.
The dispute centers on Nolan’s decision to cast Nyong’o, 43, as Helen of Troy, the figure from Greek mythology whose legendary beauty sparked Trojan War.
The Oscar-winning actress, who took home the Academy Award for 12 years of slavery in 2013, she will play both Helena and her sister Clytemnestra.
The backlash began when conservative commentator Matt Walsh posted on
Musk responded with a single word: “True.”
She then went further, separately suggesting that Nolan’s motivation for casting was awards eligibility, writing in response to another user: “He wants the awards.”
Musk was referring to Oscar diversity guidelines introduced in 2023 that require best picture nominees to meet certain representation criteria across the cast and crew.
Kimmel addressed the controversy on his show by showing Musk’s tweets, including one in which Musk tagged Nolan’s. Odyssey a “desecration” and demanded to know who was responsible for the Academy’s diversity requirements, before showing a photo of the Tesla Cybertruck on the screen.
“Who specifically is the moron who thought this was a cool design for a truck?” Kimmel responded.
Musk’s comment didn’t stop at Nyong’o.
When false rumors circulated that trans actor Elliot Page would play Achilles, Musk called it “one of the dumbest, most twisted things I’ve ever heard.”
It later emerged that Page is actually playing Elpenor, a minor character who dies after falling off a roof while drunk and then finds himself in the underworld.
After the correction, Musk reposted a tweet denying the existence of Page’s masculinity.
Actor Alec Baldwin entered the debate on Instagram, posting a photo of Nyong’o with the message: “Dear Elon… but she IS the most beautiful woman in the world.”
Nolan The odysseyhis first film since winning best picture. oppenheimerIt has one of the most stellar casts in recent times.
Matt Damon plays Odysseus, Anne Hathaway his wife Penelope, Tom Holland his son Telemachus and Zendaya the goddess Athena.
Robert Pattinson, Charlize Theron, Jon Bernthal, Mia Goth and rapper Travis Scott are also among the cast. The film opens in US theaters on July 17.
