Former Nintendo staffers Kit Ellis and Krysta Yang say Nintendo was unhappy with a 2021 Saturday Night Live sketch in which Elon Musk appeared in a Wario-style role.
The pair made the remarks in a recent YouTube video in which they discussed SNL sketches that referenced video game properties, including a sketch about The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time on a so-called Switch 2 and a segment referencing Grand Theft Auto VI.
Musk hosted Saturday Night Live on May 8, 2021, and the sketch in question drew attention inside Nintendo at the time.
Krysta Yang said the company did not receive that particular appearance well while she and Ellis were still employed there.
Kit Ellis recounted that Nintendo found the sketch unexpected and unconnected to any official product, and that some of the material ventured into subject matter the company considered uncomfortable for its characters and brand.
The former employees described Nintendo as sensitive to how its intellectual property is portrayed, a stance consistent with the company's long-standing approach to brand management.
Nintendo has historically maintained strict guidelines over the use of its characters and messaging across platforms such as Nintendo Switch and the eShop, and the company typically controls official appearances through channels like Nintendo Direct.
Ellis and Yang contrasted the reaction to the 2021 Musk sketch with a more recent SNL segment that parodied Ocarina of Time alongside a Grand Theft Auto VI gag.
They praised SNL's familiarity with the source material and singled out comedian Mikey Day's Link costume as a strong piece of production in that sketch.
The remarks from Ellis and Yang add first-hand perspective from former employees about how Nintendo views external portrayals of its characters.
The discussion underscores the tension that can arise when mainstream entertainment programs incorporate gaming icons, and it highlights why publishers and developers such as Nintendo and Rockstar Games monitor third-party portrayals of their franchises.
Their comments were offered on their YouTube channel and reflect personal recollections from the period surrounding the 2021 SNL episode.
The exchange provides a rare public glimpse into how Nintendo staff reacted internally to an unexpected mainstream parody involving one of the company's most recognizable character archetypes.
The pair made the remarks in a recent YouTube video in which they discussed SNL sketches that referenced video game properties, including a sketch about The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time on a so-called Switch 2 and a segment referencing Grand Theft Auto VI.
Musk hosted Saturday Night Live on May 8, 2021, and the sketch in question drew attention inside Nintendo at the time.
Krysta Yang said the company did not receive that particular appearance well while she and Ellis were still employed there.
Kit Ellis recounted that Nintendo found the sketch unexpected and unconnected to any official product, and that some of the material ventured into subject matter the company considered uncomfortable for its characters and brand.
The former employees described Nintendo as sensitive to how its intellectual property is portrayed, a stance consistent with the company's long-standing approach to brand management.
Nintendo has historically maintained strict guidelines over the use of its characters and messaging across platforms such as Nintendo Switch and the eShop, and the company typically controls official appearances through channels like Nintendo Direct.
Ellis and Yang contrasted the reaction to the 2021 Musk sketch with a more recent SNL segment that parodied Ocarina of Time alongside a Grand Theft Auto VI gag.
They praised SNL's familiarity with the source material and singled out comedian Mikey Day's Link costume as a strong piece of production in that sketch.
The remarks from Ellis and Yang add first-hand perspective from former employees about how Nintendo views external portrayals of its characters.
The discussion underscores the tension that can arise when mainstream entertainment programs incorporate gaming icons, and it highlights why publishers and developers such as Nintendo and Rockstar Games monitor third-party portrayals of their franchises.
Their comments were offered on their YouTube channel and reflect personal recollections from the period surrounding the 2021 SNL episode.
The exchange provides a rare public glimpse into how Nintendo staff reacted internally to an unexpected mainstream parody involving one of the company's most recognizable character archetypes.
