Elon Musk said of Justice Smith: “HE’S A PICK ME BOY” after Smith repeatedly complained and forbade fans from calling him gay despite his clothing style suggesting it. He also said that suing internet users was impossible. Elon Musk’s seven strong words silenced Smith in the media for hours.

In the ever-churning world of social media drama, where billionaires and Hollywood stars collide like tectonic plates, Elon Musk has once again proven himself the undisputed king of concise takedowns.

Just 10 minutes ago—as of this writing on a brisk December evening in 2025—Musk fired off a seven-word zinger on X (formerly Twitter) that has left actor Justice Smith reeling and the internet ablaze: “HE’S A PICK ME BOY.” The remark, delivered with Musk’s signature all-caps flair, targeted Smith’s recent public meltdown over fans speculating about his sexuality based on his flamboyant fashion choices.

What started as a complaint about online harassment has snowballed into a full-blown media silence from Smith, with Musk’s quip effectively muting the conversation for hours. But to understand this explosive exchange, we need to rewind the tape on the events leading up to it.

Justice Smith, the 30-year-old breakout star known for his roles in The Get Down, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, and the 2023 adaptation of The American Society of Magical Negroes, has long been a figure of intrigue in pop culture.

With his sharp cheekbones, expressive eyes, and a wardrobe that blends high-fashion eccentricity—think oversized blazers in pastel hues, layered chains that scream “art installation,” and boots that could double as statement jewelry—Smith has cultivated an image that’s equal parts enigmatic and enviable. Fans adore it; critics call it bold.

But in recent weeks, that style has become a lightning rod for unwanted assumptions. Social media sleuths, ever eager to label, began flooding his mentions with questions about his orientation, pointing to his outfits as “gay-coded” signals.

“If you’re not out, why dress like that?” one viral tweet read, amassing thousands of likes before deletion.

Smith’s response was swift and scorching.

In a series of Instagram Stories and a lengthy TikTok rant posted on December 8, he vented his frustration, calling the speculation “invasive bullshit” and “a violation of my privacy.” “I’m tired of people policing my closet like it’s their job,” he said, his voice cracking with emotion in the video, which has since garnered over 5 million views.

He went further, explicitly forbidding fans from labeling him as gay: “Don’t call me that. Ever. It’s not your place, and it’s not true.” The plea struck a chord with some, who rallied around themes of consent and celebrity boundaries, but it also ignited backlash.

Detractors accused him of internalized homophobia, arguing that rejecting the label while embracing the aesthetic was the epitome of having one’s cake and eating it too. “You’re giving us the vibes, then slapping our hands away,” one commenter quipped, sparking meme threads across Reddit and X.

Enter Elon Musk, the South African-born tech titan whose X platform has become a battleground for free speech absolutism and personal vendettas. Musk, 54, has never shied away from wading into cultural wars—whether it’s mocking pronouns, amplifying conspiracy theories, or feuding with regulators.

His feed is a chaotic mix of SpaceX updates, Tesla teases, and unsolicited opinions on everything from AI ethics to pop star beefs. Lately, he’s been on a tear about “woke mind virus,” a term he uses to describe what he sees as performative progressivism stifling authenticity.

Smith’s outburst landed squarely in that crosshairs.

Musk’s response wasn’t just a casual scroll-by; it was surgical.

Replying to a thread compiling Smith’s complaints, he dropped the bomb: “HE’S A PICK ME BOY.” For the uninitiated, “pick me boy” is internet slang, the male counterpart to the infamous “pick me girl”—a term for someone who bends over backward to distance themselves from their own group (in this case, the queer community) to gain favor with the mainstream or the opposite sex.

It’s a charge of inauthenticity, of chasing validation at the expense of solidarity. Musk’s phrasing, terse and uppercase-heavy, amplified its sting, turning a niche critique into a viral gut punch.

The post, timestamped at 8:45 PM PST—just 10 minutes before this article’s drafting—exploded, racking up 150,000 likes, 20,000 reposts, and a flood of quote-tweets within the hour.

But Musk didn’t stop at the moniker. In a follow-up tweet, he added a layer of legal realism that underscored his no-nonsense worldview: “Suing internet users was impossible.” This wasn’t mere advice; it was a subtle nod to the futility of celebrity litigiousness in the digital age.

Smith had hinted at legal action in his rant, musing about “holding trolls accountable” and even tagging lawyers in his Stories. Musk, drawing from his own brushes with lawsuits (he’s faced dozens, from SEC battles to defamation suits over Tesla claims), dismissed it outright.

“The web is wild west—adapt or get buried,” he elaborated in a thread, linking to a 2024 study on failed online harassment cases. It’s classic Musk: blending empathy with brutal honesty, all while positioning himself as the sage disruptor.

The impact was immediate and profound. Smith’s socials, usually buzzing with fan art and project teases, went dark. No new posts, no Stories, no cryptic emojis—just radio silence that stretched into hours.

Media outlets, from TMZ to Variety, picked up the slack, with headlines screaming “Musk Muzzles Smith” and “Pick Me Drama: Elon vs. Justice.” On X, the discourse fractured along predictable lines. Pro-Smith voices decried Musk as a bully, arguing his platform enables the very harassment he’s mocking.

“Elon’s turning X into a hate coliseum,” one user lamented, echoing broader concerns about content moderation since his 2022 acquisition. Meanwhile, Musk’s defenders hailed it as a truth bomb, with replies like “Finally, someone calls out the performative angst” flooding in.

This isn’t just tabloid fodder; it’s a microcosm of 2025’s cultural fault lines. Sexuality and style have long intersected in Hollywood—think Rock Hudson’s hidden truth or Elliot Page’s liberation—but the internet has supercharged the scrutiny.

Smith’s dilemma highlights the double bind for young, ambiguous stars: embrace fluidity and risk erasure, or assert straightness and invite “pick me” accusations. Musk, ever the contrarian, flips the script by framing it as a personal failing rather than systemic pressure.

His intervention also spotlights X’s evolution under his stewardship: a place where A-listers duke it out in real-time, unfiltered and unapologetic.

As the night wears on, the question lingers: Will Smith clap back? A source close to the actor (speaking anonymously to avoid further drama) tells us he’s “fuming but strategic,” weighing a response that addresses the homophobia undertones without fueling the fire.

Musk, predictably, has already moved on, tweeting about Neuralink trials and a cryptic “Mars or bust.” Yet in those seven words, he’s etched another chapter in his legacy as the internet’s uninvited therapist—prescribing harsh medicine that either heals or humiliates.

In a year defined by AI deepfakes, election echo chambers, and endless culture clashes, this spat reminds us: Authenticity is the ultimate currency, but in the attention economy, even billionaires pay in controversy.

As fans await Smith’s next move, one thing’s clear—Musk’s mic drop has set the stage for a louder encore. Stay tuned; the web never sleeps.