Stephen Colbert, the funny host of “The Late Show,” had a great time making jokes about Elon Musk, a super-rich guy who builds spaceships and electric cars. Elon spent $25 million trying to help a man named Brad Schimel win a big election for a judge job in Wisconsin. But guess what? Elon’s plan didn’t work! The other person, Susan Crawford, won by a lot, and Colbert couldn’t stop laughing about it.
Elon really wanted Brad to win because he agreed with Elon’s ideas. He gave tons of money—over $20 million—to help Brad, and even handed out $1 million checks to people in Wisconsin just before the election. He hoped this would make people vote for Brad and give the court more people who think like him. But even with all that money, Susan won by 10 points, which is a big deal in Wisconsin where elections are usually super close. This kept the court on the side of people who care about things like fair voting and other big rules.
Colbert was so happy about this. He started his show by saying, “Lots of people are excited because this keeps the court the way it is, but mostly because it’s bad news for Elon Musk!” He thought it was hilarious that Elon spent so much money and still lost. “All that cash just went up in flames,” Colbert said. “Now he knows what it’s like to buy a Tesla!” That was a silly joke about Elon’s car company, Tesla, because sometimes their cars have problems.
Colbert kept going. “Elon didn’t just lose—he got smashed!” he said, laughing. It was extra funny because Elon made a big show of giving away money right before the election, but it didn’t help. People didn’t like that he was trying to use his money to pick a judge, and they voted against his guy anyway. “The only thing his money bought was a big oops in front of everyone,” Colbert joked.
This wasn’t just a funny story—it was important too. Elon is one of the richest people in the world, and he tried to use his money to change an election. But the people of Wisconsin said no way! They picked Susan, and that showed that even a billionaire can’t always get what he wants. It’s a reminder that regular people’s votes matter more than money.
Elon might not give up, though. He likes being loud about what he thinks, and he’s friends with big leaders like Donald Trump. He’ll probably keep spending money on things he cares about. But this loss in Wisconsin teaches him—and other rich people—that money can’t buy everything. Voters get to decide, not just the person with the most cash.
Colbert loved this story because it showed that democracy won. “Elon’s $25 million loss is like a bad Tesla buy,” he said at the end. For Elon, it might be a lesson he won’t forget!
