Nintendo was reportedly unhappy with Elon Musk's 2021 Saturday Night Live sketch where he played Wario.
In 2021, Elon Musk starred in a Saturday Night Live sketch where he played Wario. The nefarious Nintendo character took the stand in a courtroom, where he was being accused of murdering everyone's favorite plumber, Mario. The skit was poorly received online and, apparently, by Nintendo itself. Kit Ellis and Krysta Yang, two former Nintendo PR managers, revealed in a recent episode of their YouTube show that the SNL skit "did not go well" with Nintendo at the time.
The two got on the subject following the recent Saturday Night Live sketch where The Legend of Zelda protagonist Link and GTA 6's Jason Duvall debated each other over who would have the better game. The sketch largely pokes fun at The Legend of Zelda while trying to make GTA 6 seem like the "cooler" game, which itself led to some mixed reactions online. Nevertheless, Ellis and Yang think that it probably went over better than Musk's sketch.
The two recalled being at Nintendo when the skit aired and stated that it was "not beloved." Ellis went on to note that the sketch was also oddly timed, as there wasn't even a new Wario game or product when it happened. He went on to say that the sketch also pushed into "uncomfortable" for Nintendo, likely referencing some of the more risque jokes in the skit. The SNL crew made jokes about Mario using cocaine, Luigi sleeping with Princess Peach, and featured a video of Luigi's censored penis. It was... interesting, to say the least.
Naturally, it's understandable if Nintendo wasn't thrilled about its family-friendly characters being portrayed as sexual deviants. SNL has parodied Nintendo a number of other times, including a sketch featuring a dark and gritty version of Mario Kart, heavily inspired by HBO's adaptation of The Last of Us.