Elon Musk sparked controversy by using an offensive slur while mocking Ben Stiller's support of Vice President Kamala Harris for the 2024 presidential election.

The incident began when former investment banker John LeFevre shared a tweet featuring a headline about Stiller discussing how "woke America killed 'edgier' comedy," alongside an image from 'Tropic Thunder'.

The 2008 film featured Stiller as actor Tugg Speedman, playing a character called Simple Jack who has disabilities.

Musk, an extremely vocal Donald Trump supporter, responded to LeFevre's post with "Damn he went full r*****." – referencing a controversial line from the movie delivered by Robert Downey Jr.'s character.

The exchange followed Stiller's recent 'Collider' interview where he discussed whether 'Tropic Thunder' could be made today.

"I doubt it," Stiller said. "Obviously, in this environment, edgier comedy is just harder to do. Definitely not at the scale we made it at, too, in terms of the economics of the business."

Stiller acknowledged the film's controversial nature even at its release.

"Even at the time, of course, it was dicey too. The only reason we attempted it was I felt like the joke was very clear in terms of who that joke was on — actors trying to do anything to win awards."

Despite ongoing debates about the film's content, Stiller stands by the work.

In a 2023 tweet, he stated: "I make no apologies for 'Tropic Thunder'. Don't know who told you that. It's always been a controversial movie since when we opened. Proud of it and the work that everyone did on it."

Tags
Elon Musk, Ben Stiller