On May 8, Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, hosted Saturday Night Live for the first time, and he also brought his mom along with him in honor of Mother's Day. But what you may not know is that Maye Musk is a celebrity in her own right. The 73-year-old model has been working successfully on the pages of iconic magazines and as the face of many brands for half a century. Read on to see what Elon Musk's supermodel mom had to say about him on SNL.
RELATED: Kenan Thompson Says This SNL Guest Made the Cast "Extremely Uncomfortable."
Maye Musk joined her son on the SNL stage and talked about what he was like as a kid.
SNLMaye—the Canadian-South African fashion icon who also holds two Masters degrees—graced the SNL stage during Elon's monologue to tell people what he was like as a child. Before bringing his mom in front of the audience, Elon said: "The answer is pretty much the same as now, but smaller. But we can also ask my mother, who is here tonight."
The international supermodel, who has appeared on covers of magazines like Women's Day and Vogue, suggested her son's success began at just 12 years old. When Elon asked his mom if she remembered the video game he created called "Blast Star," she responded, "I do. I remember they paid you $500, but you were too young to open a bank account. So I had to open one for you. You turned that video game about space into reality." When Elon's monologue came to a close, Maye told him to "break a leg" and said she loved him. "I'm excited for my Mother's Day gift. I just hope it's not Dogecoin," she joked.
Maye also has two other children in very different fields.
@MayeMusk / InstagramDuring a Jan. 25 interview with Gayle King and Anthony Mason on CBS This Morning, Maye, who is also a registered dietician, spoke of her three children: 49-year-old Elon; 48-year-old son Kimbal Musk; and 46-year-old daughter Tosca Musk. She revealed she knew Elon was a "genius" at just three years old, but she joked that she didn't know if her son would go on to do "great things" as an adult. "Because many geniuses just end up in a basement being a genius but not applying it," Maye said.
Speaking of her son Kimbal, a chef and founding father of the farm-to-table movement, Maye said: "I'm not a great cook, so that's why he has restaurants. He also does vegetable gardens in underserved schools because he feels children should always have vegetables and fruit." Tosca, on the other hand, is a South African filmmaker. "She just loved every movie, remembered every one, and she wanted to get into the movie business, which I discouraged a lot, of course," explained on CBS This Morning.
For more celebrity news delivered right to your inbox, sign up for our daily newsletter.
Maye is thriving in her early 70s and she thanks her own mom for that.
Paul Archuleta / Getty ImagesMaye's success has continued into her 70s and she attributes that to her own mother's view on aging. During her Jan. 2021 interview on CBS, Maye revealed her mom retired at 96 and "never had a problem with age." Maye's mother "never spoke about wrinkles or getting old"; she instead was always "positive, learning, and educating herself," Maye said.
"As I got into my 60s, people were talking about aging and being scared of aging, and I'm saying, 'Why are you scared of aging?'" Maye said. "I mean, for example, when you turn 50, women are scared of losing their jobs. But then men become CEOs and presidents, so what's that about?" She urged women to change their mindset and offered one piece of advice for anyone feeling the effects of time. "If somebody's making you feel bad about your age, just say goodbye. You don't need that person in your life," Maye said.
She made history with CoverGirl in 2017.
Mike Coppola / Getty ImagesIn 2017, Maye was chosen as CoverGirl's ambassador at age 69, making history in the process. "I just love that CoverGirl wants to do diversity. They haven’t had a model this old in their campaigns. I’m turning 70 in April of next year. I think that women will be really inspired to see that even at 69 you can get a beauty campaign," Maye told The New York Times in 2017. "Aging has been good for me. You develop confidence, you’re able to handle the knocks a little easier. I model for my age."
She also revealed when she decided to embrace her gray hair, which has become her signature look. She had always touched up her roots, but when she turned 60, she decided to stop. "When I turned 60, I decided to see what color I am underneath. I started dyeing my hair a very light blond and then I let it grow out. I cut it very short," Maye said.
RELATED: Paulina Porizkova Says This Is the "Recipe for Great Sex" in Your 50s.
