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‘F*** him’: Aussie celeb leads Elon backlash

A famous Australian has traded in their ‘gross’ Tesla in protest of Elon Musk’s political views.

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Australian celebrity Ethan Marrell, known for “Ozzy Man Reviews” videos that attract millions of views, sparked controversy on the weekend by selling his Tesla to protest Elon Musk’s political views.

A photo shared by OzzyManReviews on Reddit shows a man’s hand “flipping off” a white Tesla Model 3 electric car, accompanied by a caption stating “[I] Gave my Tesla Model 3 a clear salute today after selling it to a dealer in Perth, Australia”.

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Reddit user OzzyManReviews posted this photo in protest of Elon Musk. Picture: Reddit
Reddit user OzzyManReviews posted this photo in protest of Elon Musk. Picture: Reddit

Ozzy Man Reviews has more than 12 million followers on Facebook, along with more than 6 million YouTube subscribers and 2 million Instagram followers.

The sale appeared to be in response to Elon Musk’s controversial salute at the inauguration of President Donald Trump last week, in addition to his support for political groups such as Germany’s far-right AfD.

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Further comments made by the account on Reddit said the celebrity Tesla owner originally “bought it because it was great to drive” but decided to sell the car because “it’s been gross to drive it around this week”.

“If everyone else here has felt fine with it all, no worries, I think the silence from us is enabling him and Tesla a lot,” the Reddit post said.

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Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk gestures as he speaks during the inaugural parade inside Capitol One Arena, in Washington, DC, on January 20, 2025. Photo: ANGELA WEISS / AFP
Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk gestures as he speaks during the inaugural parade inside Capitol One Arena, in Washington, DC, on January 20, 2025. Photo: ANGELA WEISS / AFP
Tech billionaire Elon Musk speaks live via a video transmission during a speech by Alice Weidel, chancellor candidate of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) political party, at the AfD election campaign launch rally on January 25, 2025 in Halle, Germany. Photo: Sean Gallup/Getty Images
Tech billionaire Elon Musk speaks live via a video transmission during a speech by Alice Weidel, chancellor candidate of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) political party, at the AfD election campaign launch rally on January 25, 2025 in Halle, Germany. Photo: Sean Gallup/Getty Images

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“None the less, when folks don’t like Gillette or Budweiser or whatever for being “too woke” they speak up. Loudly. And they don’t sink money into those brands for a while at least.

“Tesla’s are pricey, it’s a hard choice, but us wankers that own ‘em should get more raucous over the brand becoming ‘too neo nazi’ I feel.

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A small number Tesla dealerships appear to have been defaced in January. Picture: Reddit
A small number Tesla dealerships appear to have been defaced in January. Picture: Reddit

“Seriously though, it’s felt like Elon has experienced f—- all repercussions from Tesla for outright despicable behaviour. So f—- them. And f—- him.”

The post attracted more than 90,000 “upvotes” similar to Facebook “likes” on Reddit, with considerable debate among more than 5000 comments.

Critics felt the move was “really pathetic”, “virtue signalling” and “cringey as f---”, while supporters agreed with his stance.

Protesters used projectors on Tesla's factory in Berlin. Picture: X.com/Politicalbeauty
Protesters used projectors on Tesla's factory in Berlin. Picture: X.com/Politicalbeauty

Potential Tesla owners said they “cancelled because it just didn’t sit right after Elon’s comments on British politics”, or that “honestly I love the car. But seriously, F—- Elon”.

“F it. I sold my model Y last month, and dumped my entire TSLA position (about 70k in total),” another person said.

“I’m sure it will do nothing to impact the current situation, but after six years with model S and Model Y, I’m just done with this rodeo.”

The popular post on Reddit followed recent reports of vandalism of Tesla cars and dealerships. Other images posted to Reddit purport to include Tesla dealerships in Europe and New Zealand that were defaced over the weekend, along with cars vandalised with Nazi symbolism.

German police are investigating a political protest at Tesla’s Berlin factory that projected imagery onto a building, including video of Adolf Hitler and the phrase “Heil Tesla”.

Originally published as ‘F*** him’: Aussie celeb leads Elon backlash

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Original URL: https://www.themercury.com.au/motoring/motoring-news/f-him-aussie-celeb-leads-elon-backlash/news-story/3e7eb3be09478228870ec3fa1e55e4a3