April 18, 2025 – Tesla’s stock is in a tailspin, dropping to $241.37 as of April 17, 2025, down 13% in the first quarter alone, marking its worst performance since 2022. Amid this financial freefall, late-night host Jimmy Kimmel has seized the moment, unleashing a barrage of jokes that have electrified his audience and drawn the ire of Tesla CEO Elon Musk. The clash, fueled by Kimmel’s biting humor and Musk’s fiery retorts, has become a cultural lightning rod, highlighting tensions over Musk’s polarizing persona, Tesla’s struggles, and the power of comedy to provoke. Here’s how this explosive saga is unfolding.

Tesla’s Troubles: A Perfect Storm

Tesla’s current stock price of $241.37 reflects a steep decline from its year-high of $488.54, with a 41.4% year-to-date drop as of March 2025. The company reported a 13% sales drop in Q1 2025, delivering fewer vehicles than the 387,000 sold in the same period last year. Analysts point to a trifecta of challenges: an aging product lineup, fierce competition from rivals like BYD and Ford, and a consumer backlash tied to Musk’s embrace of right-wing politics and his role in President Donald Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).

Public sentiment has turned volatile, with Tesla vehicles vandalized and dealerships protested across the U.S. Some owners have slapped bumper stickers on their cars reading, “I bought this before Elon went crazy.” This unrest has coincided with Musk’s high-profile controversies, including his chainsaw-waving celebration of DOGE’s job cuts and a Wall Street Journal report alleging he’s fathered over 14 children to “seed the world in his own image.” These headlines have only amplified the noise around Tesla’s downturn.

Kimmel’s Comedy Cuts Deep

Jimmy Kimmel, never one to shy away from a juicy target, has made Musk and Tesla a centerpiece of his Jimmy Kimmel Live! monologues. On March 19, 2025, Kimmel gleefully noted Tesla’s stock “tanking almost disastrously so,” prompting cheers from his audience. He didn’t stop there. Referencing arson attacks on Tesla vehicles, Kimmel quipped, “Authorities are now investigating which Teslas were set on fire—and which set themselves on fire.” The line, a jab at Tesla’s past battery issues, drew roars of laughter but sparked outrage among Musk’s supporters.

Kimmel doubled down the next night, mocking Musk’s Fox News claim that Tesla is a “peaceful company” by replaying footage of Musk brandishing a chainsaw at a Trump inauguration rally. “When you pull out a chainsaw to celebrate firing thousands of people, they get mad,” Kimmel said, linking Musk’s DOGE cuts to public anger. He also took aim at Musk’s personal life, dubbing him “Sex Luthor” and joking that Musk “may have given birth” to his alleged legion of children, citing a viral beach photo.

More recently, Kimmel riffed on a Wall Street Journal report about Musk’s “harem of baby mamas,” joking, “Elon spent $300 million to get one elected president,” a dig at Musk’s ties to Trump. Each jab has ignited his audience, with clips racking up millions of views online, but they’ve also drawn fierce backlash from conservatives and Musk himself.

Musk’s Wrath: From X to Fox News

Musk, no stranger to clapping back, has taken Kimmel’s jokes personally. On March 20, 2025, he posted on X, calling Kimmel an “unfunny jerk” in response to the Tesla vandalism quips. The post, liked over 800,000 times, rallied Musk’s loyal fanbase, who flooded Kimmel’s X account with insults. Musk escalated the feud on Fox News, decrying the “deranged” attacks on Tesla and accusing Kimmel of inciting violence.

The tension peaked after a fabricated rumor spread on X, claiming Kimmel kicked Musk off his show after a heated interview. Snopes debunked the story, confirming no such incident occurred, but the viral claim—viewed millions of times—underscored the intensity of Musk’s fanbase and their readiness to amplify his grievances. Musk’s defenders argue Kimmel’s jokes trivialize Tesla’s contributions to clean energy and unfairly target Musk for his political stance. “Jimmy’s just pandering to the woke crowd,” one X user wrote. “Elon’s building the future while Kimmel’s stuck in the past.”

The Cultural Clash: Comedy vs. Power

This feud is more than a celebrity spat—it’s a microcosm of 2025’s fractured cultural landscape. Kimmel’s humor taps into growing public frustration with Musk’s unchecked influence, from his DOGE role to his $250 billion fortune. Critics like Minnesota Governor Tim Walz have cheered Tesla’s stock tumble, despite over a million Minnesotans holding Tesla shares in retirement funds. Meanwhile, Musk’s supporters, including Fox News’ Sean Hannity, have slammed Kimmel as an “unhinged loser” for mocking “regular Americans” who drive Teslas.

The backlash against Kimmel has been fierce. Conservative figures like Senator Mike Lee and TPUSA’s Charlie Kirk have called the Tesla attacks “domestic terrorism” and accused Kimmel of excusing violence. Some have even demanded ABC fire Kimmel, with Hannity questioning if Disney CEO Bob Iger is “proud” of the host’s antics. Yet Kimmel remains unbowed, clarifying, “No one should be setting fires,” while insisting Musk’s actions—like slashing federal jobs—fuel public rage.

What’s Next for Tesla, Kimmel, and Musk?

Tesla’s stock may stabilize if Musk navigates the company through its current storm, but the damage to its brand is palpable. The Cybertruck’s eighth recall since November 2023 hasn’t helped, with Kimmel joking it’s “recalled more times than a bad tuna salad.” Musk’s DOGE tenure ends in May, but his political footprint—and the controversies it spawns—shows no sign of fading.

Kimmel, thriving on the attention, is likely to keep Musk in his crosshairs, especially as Tesla’s woes and Musk’s personal scandals provide endless fodder. The comedian’s ability to turn Musk’s missteps into viral moments ensures this feud will simmer, with each side rallying their tribes. As one X user put it, “Kimmel’s laughing, Musk’s fuming, and we’re all just watching the chaos.”

In a world where stock prices, late-night jokes, and billionaire egos collide, this saga proves one thing: when Tesla stumbles, the sparks fly far beyond Wall Street.