Elon Musk agreed to appear on “The Daily Show” when host Jon Stewart criticized DOGE, the cost-cutting initiative he unofficially leads.

Corrections & clarifications: A previous version of this article misstated how many federal workers have lost their jobs.

Elon Musk could go head-to-head on “The Daily Show” with host Jon Stewart, an often outspoken critic of the Trump administration and the billionaire’s efforts to cut government spending.

Ever since Stewart launched a scathing attack on the Tesla and SpaceX CEO so fiercely that he bit his own hand, there has been a growing demand online for Musk and Stewart to face off on Comedy Central’s flagship satirical news program. Stewart was injured Monday while speaking out against the Department of Government Efficiency, an effort that Musk unofficially leads at the behest of President Donald Trump, which is drastically cutting the federal workforce.

After the episode aired, Musk’s supporters began pushing on social media site X, which he owns, that the tech giant visit “The Daily Show” for a one-on-one chat with Stewart. Musk accepted the challenge, responding to a user on Tuesday, “I will do it if the show airs unedited.” “The Daily Show” took notice and reposted the message on Wednesday from its official account accepting the terms.

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The reply read, “We would be delighted!”, with Musk tagged.

Whether Musk will actually be featured on “The Daily Show” remains to be seen. USA TODAY left a message with representatives of the show on Thursday.

DOGE news: DOGE said it cut $881 million in education division. The actual savings are much less.

Jon Stewart slammed DOGE on Monday’s episode of ‘The Daily Show’
Jon Stewart poses with an Emmy in September during a ceremony in Los Angeles.

Stewart’s feud with Musk escalated further on Monday when the comedian criticized the indiscriminate termination of thousands of federal employees across multiple agencies — regardless of how important their jobs are.

During the segment, Stewart pointed out opportunities missed for DOGE to make meaningful cuts without targeting employees. At the end of the segment, Stewart pulled out props, including a lamp and a white mug, to set up an office for himself to help DOGE reduce government waste.

Then, when he got frustrated, he slammed the mug down on his desk, cutting his hand. Although Stewart finished his monologue with his bloodied hand under the desk, he joked, “I’ll be going to the hospital soon.”

Elon Musk discussed DOGE in Trump’s first cabinet meeting

Musk, who brought a prop chainsaw to the Conservative Political Action Conference last week to symbolize cutting through trash, recently defended his efforts to reduce the federal workforce during Trump’s first Cabinet meeting in Washington D.C. on Wednesday. Musk, a staunch ally of the president, made the appearance following his controversial directive via email to federal employees asking them to list their recent accomplishments or face dismissal. Following the email, 21 DOGE employees resigned in protest earlier this week, saying in a joint letter that they would not use their skills to “eliminate vital public services.”

Musk’s ultimatum caused widespread confusion and concern in the government, with several departments issuing clarifications that responding to the emails was voluntary, though Musk said his job depended on it. Later, the Trump administration clarified that responding was not mandatory.

But on Wednesday, Trump reaffirmed his support for Musk.

“Is anybody unhappy with Elon?” Trump asked his secretaries, when a reporter asked the president if any Cabinet members were unhappy with Musk’s role. “If you are, well, get them out of here.”