Elon Musk Steals the Show at 2022 Met Gala With Surprise Date, Spills Details on Twitter Goals: 'I'm Definitely on the War Path' The billionaire took to the red carpet Monday night and used the time to address the elephant in the room.
By Emily Rella Edited by Jessica Thomas
He might not be known as a style icon, but billionaire Elon Musk certainly made sure to step it up and out during the biggest night in fashion at the 2022 Met Gala on Monday night, complete with a supermodel on his arm.
Musk's date was someone very special to him — it was his mother, supermodel Maye Musk.
The pair took to the famed red-carpeted steps of the Metropolitan Museum of Arts looking dapper, with the Tesla CEO in a classic fitted black tux and his mother donning a velvet burgundy Dior dress and strands of pearls around her neck.
This marks Musk's first public appearance since the announcement that Twitter would be accepting his $43 billion bid to purchase the social media platform, which would make Twitter a privately-owned company under the billionaire should the deal close as expected by the end of 2022.
Related: Celebrity Slams Food at $30K-Per-Ticket Met Gala: "This is Why They Don't Show Y'all the Food'
And though Monday night was all about glitz and elegance for most (the dress code was "gilded glamour," after all) Musk used interviews and mingling opportunities to discuss his goals and plans for the company should the purchase be completed.
"My goal, assuming everything gets done, would be to make Twitter as inclusive as possible and to have as broad a swath of the country and of the rest of the world on Twitter and that they find it interesting and entertaining and funny," Musk told Lala Anthony, who was hosting Vogue's red carpet coverage. " And that it makes their life better."
In a separate interview with the Associated Press, Musk said he wants Twitter to become as "trusted as possible as a system" and noted that he would make a strong effort to cleanse the social media platform of fake accounts and other scam-oriented profiles and campaigns that muddle down the user experience.
"I've also vowed this publicly that we have to get rid of the bots and trolls and the scams and everything, because that's obviously diminishing the user experience, and we don't want people getting tricked out of their money and that kind of thing," Musk said confidently. "I'm definitely on the warpath, so if somebody's operating a bot or troll on me then I'm definitely their enemy."
Related: Twitter Gains Millions of Users in First Earnings Report Since Accepting Musk's Bid
Though there are extremely strict rules surrounding cameras and reporting inside the event itself, Musk was spotted having an "animated" conversation with it-couple Kim Kardashian and Pete Davidson that reportedly ended with Davidson delivering Musk a chipper fist-bump.
It's unclear exactly what the three spoke about, but perhaps it could have something to do with a potential space exploration voyage, as Davidson was set to jet off the planet with Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin earlier this year before dropping out due to flight delays.
Monday night was Musk's first Met Gala red carpet appearance since 2018, when he attended with ex-partner musician Grimes.
As of Tuesday morning, Musk's net worth was an estimated $254.5 billion.
