Watch Stephen Colbert Relinquish ‘King Nerd’ Crown to Elon Musk
When the SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida on Tuesday afternoon, one thing was resoundingly clear to Stephen Colbert.
“That’s right, this is absolutely true: A giant phallus crankin’ rock ‘n’ roll, releasing a red convertible into the dark void,” Colbert joked. “And the award for Most Midlife Crisis goes to Elon Musk.”
The late night host pointed out the humor in the historic launch. “Here’s the kicker … the launch was to show not only that the Falcon was reusable but the Falcon Heavy can carry a large payload. So to test it, Elon Musk sent up his own Tesla convertible with a dummy astronaut at the wheel, blasting David Bowie’s ‘Life on Mars.'”
Colbert also pointed out that Musk’s attention to detail – including a touchscreen in the dashboard of the convertible that read “Don’t Panic!” – betrayed his ultimate nerdiness.
“We get it, Musk,” Colbert said. “You’re King Nerd. I relinquish my crown.” At this, the late night host pulled a giant pink Galactus-inspired crown out from under the desk and set in from to him.