In a bizarre turn of events, billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk has reportedly filed a billion-dollar lawsuit against comedian Kathy Griffin.
The lawsuit, which was filed earlier this week in Los Angeles, accuses Griffin of “totally unprepared slander” and “damaging the reputation” of Musk and his companies.
According to sources close to the situation, Musk was incensed by a recent stand-up routine in which Griffin allegedly made a series of jokes at his expense.
The routine, which was performed in front of a live audience, reportedly included several jokes about Musk’s personal life, his recent Twitter antics, and his companies, including SpaceX and Tesla.
“Musk was absolutely livid when he heard about Kathy’s routine,” said one insider. “He felt like she was attacking him personally and was not going to let it slide.”
According to the lawsuit, Musk is seeking damages in excess of one billion dollars, citing “irreparable harm” to his reputation and his businesses. The lawsuit also accuses Griffin of “intentionally and maliciously” spreading false and defamatory information about Musk.
Griffin, who has a long history of making controversial jokes and comments, has not yet responded publicly to the lawsuit. However, sources close to the comedian say that she is not taking it seriously and believes that Musk is simply trying to silence his critics.
“Kathy thinks that this is all a big joke,” said one source. “She doesn’t believe that Elon has any legitimate claim to damages and thinks that he is just trying to bully her into silence.”
As news of the lawsuit spreads, many fans of Griffin and Musk have taken to social media to express their opinions. Some have called for Griffin to apologize and retract her statements, while others have criticized Musk for overreacting and wasting his time and money on a frivolous lawsuit.
Representatives for Musk and Griffin declined to comment on the situation, but sources say that the legal battle between the two could drag on for months, if not years.
Whether Musk will ultimately prevail in his efforts to silence his critics remains to be seen, but one thing is clear: he is not going to back down without a fight.