Charlie Hebdo checks Musk’s idea of free speech with unflattering caricatures
Charlie Hebdo, the famous French satire magazine, decided to challenge Elon Musk, the self-proclaimed “free speech absolutist,” with a series of indecent caricatures posted straight on X, the platform he owns.
Image by Cybernews.
Charlie Hebdo, the famous French satire magazine, decided to challenge Elon Musk, the self-proclaimed “free speech absolutist,” with a series of indecent caricatures posted straight on X, the platform he owns.
In the viral cartoons, the Tesla, SpaceX, and X boss – who is the world’s richest billionaire – is portrayed in various unflattering poses. He’s depicted as a manchild and as the “Augmented Man,” for example.
Hi @elonmusk ! We hope you like our idea of freedom of expression. Please, don't hesitate to tell us which design you like best. pic.twitter.com/m1Z56ckeYC
undefined Charlie Hebdo (@Charlie_Hebdo_) January 16, 2025
“Hi Elon Musk! We hope you like our idea of freedom of expression. Please, don't hesitate to tell us which design you like best,” Charlie Hebdo wrote on X.
In a separate statement sent to the AFP news agency, the satirical weekly added: “Elon Musk prides himself on defending freedom of speech. Charlie Hebdo has decided to make full use of it by publishing cartoons of its famous boss on X.”
In “Augmented Man,” Musk is shown bearing a red snout. Another cartoon, captioned “Saint Meloni with the infant Musk,” depicts a “baby” Musk being fed by the Italian far-right prime minister Georgia Meloni, who also has her left hand raised Nazi-style (it’s already impossible to share this particular cartoon on X anymore).
Yet another cartoon shows Musk crucified on the Starship interplanetary rocket and is captioned “Musk the New Prophet.” The billionaire is keen to bring humanity to Mars, but in the cartoon, he says: “Welcome to hell.”
By Biche pic.twitter.com/LoEjIv0Xav
undefined Charlie Hebdo (@Charlie_Hebdo_) January 16, 2025
In the fourth caricature, Musk is having wet dreams about aligning the Starlink satellites in orbit. As a reminder, some observers are worried about the satellites becoming space junk.
There’s also Musk in a Tesla Cybertruck being carried by the natives in a procession, and some caricatures are essentially adult content, but hey, there’s quite a lot of pornography on X, the platform ditching most content moderation after Musk acquired it in 2022.
By Riss pic.twitter.com/ns6D9zgVSB
undefined Charlie Hebdo (@Charlie_Hebdo_) January 16, 2025
One more caricature trolls, both Musk and Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, who Charlie Hebdo seems to claim does too little on cyberbullying and harassment. They’re labeled as “Child Killers.”
By Riss pic.twitter.com/WgN158VvO8
undefined Charlie Hebdo (@Charlie_Hebdo_) January 16, 2025
Charlie Hebdo is famous for its signature raw humor. Almost exactly 10 years ago, two Al-Qaeda-linked gunmen stormed the weekly’s offices in Paris and killed 12 people.
Cartoonists around the world have recently been showing support for Ann Telnaes, a cartoonist whose caricature depicting tech leaders bowing to US President-elect Donald Trump was rejected by The Washington Post. The cartoon features The Post’s owner, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos.
So far, Musk hasn’t reacted to Charlie Hebdo’s posts on X. The weekly is planning to post 19 caricatures in total by the end of Friday.