Elon Musk Faces Backlash Over ‘Hotness’ Remark on Teen Facing Deportation

Elon Musk Faces Backlash Over ‘Hotness’ Remark on Teen Facing Deportation

Tech billionaire and Tesla CEO Elon Musk has come under renewed criticism following remarks he made about the physical appearance of a teenage girl who was facing possible deportation from Denmark.

The backlash followed a post by Musk, 54, on X (formerly Twitter), where he suggested that people who are physically attractive should be exempted from deportation. The comment was made in reference to Audrey Morris, a 19-year-old American student whose immigration status in Denmark recently became a public issue.

Reacting to the comment, Morris described Musk’s remark as demeaning, saying it reduced her case to her looks rather than her personal achievements and life circumstances.

“It’s definitely crazy,” Morris told the Daily Beast, adding that while she was not entirely shocked, she was floored that such a comment came from someone of Musk’s stature.

She said public attention quickly shifted from her academic achievements, volunteer work, and long-term residence in Denmark to her appearance.

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“It would’ve been really cool if he commented on my academic achievements or what I’ve accomplished,” she said. “That would have been helpful.”

Morris noted that although the attention was embarrassing, she hoped it would at least bring awareness to her situation.

The teenager has lived in Denmark since the age of nine after her family relocated from the United States in 2015 for her mother’s doctoral studies. She remained in the country under a temporary residency permit as an accompanying child, which expired in June 2024.

Her immigration troubles reportedly began after she moved into a boarding facility at her high school in another city and changed her address—an action that violated the conditions of her residency permit. At one point, the threat of deportation became serious enough for her to prepare to return to the United States, leaving behind her family and boyfriend.

In a later development, Danish authorities granted Morris a 10-year residency permit, sparing her immediate deportation. However, she was denied citizenship, even as her American mother and 15-year-old brother were granted the status.

“Denmark is my home—one hundred percent,” Morris said in an earlier interview. “I am as Danish as a foreigner can possibly be.”

Musk’s comment, in which he wrote that “8 or above level hotness should get an exemption,” has since drawn criticism from social media users and commentators who accused him of objectifying women and trivialising a serious immigration issue.

Elon Musk Faces Backlash Over ‘Hotness’ Remark on Teen Facing Deportation