What is Elon Musk Smoking Weed?

It is a reaction image and GIF of Elon Musk taking a hit from a joint during his 2018 appearance on the Joe Rogan Experience.

Where did Elon Musk Smoking Weed come from?

It comes from episode 1169 of the Joe Rogan Experience, recorded on September 6, 2018, when Rogan handed Musk a lit joint of tobacco and cannabis.

What does Elon Musk Smoking Weed mean?

It is typically used to caption an absurd or reckless thought, treating Musk as a stoned billionaire brainstorming his next scheme.

How do you use Elon Musk Smoking Weed?

People pair the still with a "Dude, what if…" style caption on Reddit, or Photoshop Musk into new scenes as with the /r/photoshopbattles thread that drew 36,100 points.

Is Elon Musk Smoking Weed still popular?

It is still shared as a classic reaction image, though its peak activity was in late 2018 across Reddit and Instagram.

Elon Musk Smoking Weed

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Published August 20, 2026

Elon Musk Smoking Weed is a reaction image and GIF pulled from Musk's September 2018 appearance on the Joe Rogan Experience, where he took a hit from a cannabis joint on camera. The still spread fast on Reddit and Instagram as a reaction and Photoshop template, and even prompted a NASA workplace safety review of SpaceX.

elon musk memes stoner memes celebrity reaction memes photoshop memes scandal memes

Overview

Elon Musk Smoking Weed is a reaction image and short GIF taken from a moment on the Joe Rogan Experience podcast when Musk drew from a lit joint being passed by host Joe Rogan1. The still shows Musk mid-inhale with a slightly stunned look, and online it fills the same reaction slot as older "hits blunt" style images3.

The image is often paired with captions imagining an absurd or reckless idea Musk might be entertaining while high, playing on his public reputation as a chaotic Silicon Valley billionaire2. Photoshop edits of the still spread quickly, with hundreds of altered versions circulating on Reddit within a few days4.

Gallery

Origin & Background

Platform

Joe Rogan Experience podcast / Reddit (viral spread)

Date

2018

On September 6, 2018, Musk appeared as a guest on episode 1169 of the Joe Rogan Experience7. During the roughly two-and-a-half-hour interview, Rogan lit a joint containing tobacco and cannabis and offered it to Musk, who took a single draw on camera1. Fans clipped the moment out of the full podcast and shared it as a standalone GIF and still image almost immediately3.

How It Spread

On September 7, 2018, Redditor TheJacobus posted the still to /r/dankmemes with the caption "Dude, what if… what if we launched my car into space," and the post pulled in more than 32,600 points and 520 comments within eight hours2. That same day, Australian street artist Lushsux teased an Elon mural on Instagram with the line "Should I paint @elonmusk sMokiNG wEeD brO?"6.

Redditor Matt32145 uploaded the raw still to /r/photoshopbattles, where it collected over 36,100 points and 560 comments, most of them edited variants of Musk placed into new backgrounds and scenes4. A Perfection format riff on the image was also submitted to /r/memeeconomy by Redditor Archer24083.

The fallout reached beyond meme feeds. On November 20, 2018, The Washington Post reported that NASA had ordered a workplace safety review of SpaceX, with observers pointing to the podcast footage as the likely trigger1. Joe Rogan replied to a Daily Dot writeup of the review by tweeting "LOL WUT"5.

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How to Use This Meme

The template works as a reaction slot for a dumb or reckless idea. A caption typically frames a hypothetical Musk is dreaming up while stoned, often in the shape "Dude, what if… what if [absurd plan]," tied to SpaceX, Tesla, or crypto2. Editors also drop the cutout of Musk into new backgrounds for Photoshop battle style variants4.