Man Repeatedly Attacked for Looking Like Elon Musk Publicly Slams the Billionaire as Ugly and Unpleasant

Hugo One, a 28-year-old disco-soul singer from Luxembourg, never asked to live in the shadow of one of the world’s most polarizing figures. But fate, genes, and a strangely Musk-esque facial structure have made him a walking spectacle wherever he goes.

And Hugo is not laughing anymore. The man who once taught English and French in Berlin now finds himself dodging cameras, explaining he's not a tech billionaire, and flat-out rejecting the idea that being compared to Elon Musk is any sort of compliment. In fact, he openly calls the billionaire “not nice” and, even more harshly, “not at all good looking.”

This is the bizarre, exhausting, and sometimes hilarious life of a man who never asked to become Musk’s unwilling double.

It all started in 2018, when one of Hugo’s students in Berlin made an offhand comment during class. They told him he looked like the guy who makes rockets. At the time, Hugo barely registered it. But over the years, the comments multiplied.

First monthly, then weekly. He’d be at a supermarket buying milk and someone would stop him. He’d be waiting outside a nightclub with friends and suddenly hear murmurs behind him—“Is that Elon Musk?”

More recently, things reached a boiling point during a reunion with university friends in Aberdeen, Scotland. The fifth group of strangers that night approached him, shouting the now-too-familiar words: “You’re Elon Musk!”

They couldn’t believe him when he denied it. One even demanded proof.

Exasperated but amused, Hugo decided to film the encounter, later posting it to social media as a lighthearted rebuttal. The internet, predictably, exploded. Within hours, the video had gone viral, hitting 70,000 views overnight and skyrocketing to over 1.5 million by the next morning.

Comments flooded in: “That’s Elon Musk with a soul patch,” “Elon goes disco,” and “Musk, but make it funky.” Some laughed, some were confused, and some genuinely believed Hugo was playing an elaborate joke by pretending not to be the billionaire entrepreneur. But Hugo had had enough. He wasn’t Elon Musk. And more importantly, he didn’t want to be.

“I don’t take it as a compliment,” Hugo explained, his tone more weary than amused. “He’s not a nice person. And frankly, he’s not good looking.”

For Hugo, the resemblance is more curse than gift. While it has undeniably driven traffic to his music page—streaming numbers are up, downloads have spiked—it has also brought unwanted attention that disrupts his personal life.

He says the encounters happen twice a month on average, sometimes more if he’s traveling. And while no one has been outright hostile, the repetitive nature of the interactions wears on him.

Hugo insists he’s proud of his appearance. “I like the way I look,” he says, and he sees no reason to change his hairstyle or fashion just to avoid being mistaken for someone he has no connection with and little respect for.

While he acknowledges that the occasional social media spike is a silver lining, it doesn’t offset the awkwardness he experiences when strangers expect him to be someone he’s not—and someone he doesn’t admire.

“I understand people think it’s funny,” he said. “And sometimes it is. But imagine being mistaken for someone you don’t like, every single month of your life. Eventually, it stops being funny.”

The recent trip to Aberdeen was supposed to be a nostalgic, carefree road trip with friends. Hugo had met his university buddies there years ago, and they had decided to relive old times. But even nostalgia couldn’t shield him from the curse of Musk’s face.

Over the course of one night, four separate groups pointed him out, gasped, laughed, and asked for selfies. When the fifth group of men approached him, Hugo was tired, but chose to laugh it off. “They were nice guys,” he said. “Friendly, just having fun. But still, I was exhausted.”

He posted the video not to embrace the comparison, but to shine a light on how ridiculous the whole experience has become. Ironically, the post brought more eyes than any of his songs had—at least at first. But once people clicked through to his page, many stayed to listen. Hugo admits that he’s grateful for the new listeners.

“It’s weird how being confused with someone else can bring attention to what you actually do,” he says. Still, he’s clear about where he draws the line. “As long as people know I don’t align with Elon or his beliefs, I don’t mind the views.”

Despite the frustrations, Hugo hasn’t considered changing his look. The disco-soul singer has cultivated a style that’s uniquely his own, even if it unwittingly mimics a tech tycoon’s facial features. He dresses boldly, performs with passion, and continues to build a musical career that he hopes will one day be known independently of this odd resemblance.

He recalls how during his time as a language teacher, he never imagined a resemblance to a Silicon Valley mogul would define his public image. “Back then, it was just a funny comment from a student,” he says. “Now, it’s part of my life.”

Hugo’s story is a strange tale of mistaken identity, internet virality, and the psychological weight of living under someone else’s shadow. It raises questions about public perception, celebrity culture, and how much a resemblance can shape someone’s personal narrative—especially in the age of social media.

Hugo One didn’t ask to look like Elon Musk. He didn’t build rockets, acquire Twitter, or argue with world leaders online. He’s just a singer from Luxembourg trying to make music, hang out with friends, and live a normal life.

But thanks to an unfortunate similarity, he now finds himself fielding constant questions, viral fame, and a bizarre form of fame he never pursued.

For now, Hugo is using the attention as best he can. He’s funneling viewers toward his music, engaging with new fans, and staying vocal about his lack of admiration for his accidental twin. He knows the comparisons won’t stop anytime soon. But at least now, he’s owning the narrative.

“I’m not Elon Musk,” he says. “And I never wanted to be.”

But the internet may never let him forget it.