'Hotness should get an exemption': Elon Musk makes bizarre comment over deportation of Danish teen

Ever since buying X (Formerly Twitter), Elon Musk has been on a never-ending posting stroll. From politics to personal opinions, he has used the platform to raise all kinds of thoughts and voices. Typically, his posts make a headline or two and get answers in the comments.

Elon Musk makes bizarre comment over teen

But a recent post of his, has gained a fitting reply from the teen it was directed at. On Sunday, the Tesla CEO decided to comment on the situation of Audrey Morris, a teenage high school student from Los Angeles, who briefly faced deportation from her adopted home, Denmark.


The tech giant, 54, took to X to comment on Morris' fate writing, “8 or above level hotness should get an exemption,” with a crying-laughing face emoji to suggest the comment as a joke.

Audrey Morris issues a reply

However, Morris, who turned 19 in August found the comment shocking. “Yeah, it’s definitely crazy,” she told the Daily Beast. “I wasn’t surprised [by Musk’s input], I guess you could say, because from the beginning, the second that my case was kind of made public, it has been about appearances and because, ‘oh, she’s blonde and she’s white!’ And so the thing he said in of itself wasn’t shocking to me, but coming from him, yes, it was definitely...I was floored.”

She noted how the case quickly became about her looks and not her academic achievements, volunteering record, or the fact that she grew up in a Scandinavian country.

Morris added that Musk could have chosen to make a constructive remark. “It would’ve been really cool if he commented something like, ‘Oh wow, look how many academic things she’s reached,’ or whatever. That would’ve been great. It could have been so helpful,” she said.

“[But] if this just at least brings it to the attention of anyone who cares, then I’m fine with being embarrassed a little bit. That’s okay.”

What happened to Audrey Morris?

Well, the American teen was about to be deported from Denmark, a country her family has been living in since she was 9 years old. She was in the country as "an accompanying child" of her mother, but her permit expired in June 2024. While both her parents are US citizens, they moved to Denmark in 2015 so her mother could earn her PhD there.

The problems began when she moved to the dorms of her high school in a different city and changed her address, which was against the conditions of her temporary residency. The prospect of her deportation was serious enough for her to make plans to return to the US, leaving behind her family and boyfriend.

In the end, she escaped immediate deportation and was given a residency permit that lasts for 10 years. However, she was denied citizenship, even though her American mother and 15-year-old brother were granted the same. “I have my grandparents and some friends in the USA. But Denmark is my home. One hundred percent. I am as Danish as a foreigner can possibly be,” she told Stifstidende in January.

Musk on the other hand, face deportation threats after his fallout with Donald Trump. In June 2025, Trump said that he would "take a look" at sending Musk back to his native South Africa. However, they later mended ties with each other and the billionaire has continued residing in the US.