Elon Musk’s 'hobbits' theory about UK citizens sparks fury

Warning: This article contains discussion of rape which some readers may find distressing.

Elon Musk has just compared Brits to Lord of the Rings' 'hobbits' whose 'pleasant' lives were disrupted by the arrival of migrants.

He spouted his latest 'nonsense' on the Joe Rogan Experience podcast last week, claiming: "These lovely small towns in England, Scotland and Ireland, they've been living their lives quietly. They're like hobbits, frankly.

"In fact, J. R. R. Tolkien based the hobbits on people he knew in small-town England. They're lovely people who liked to, you know, smoke their pipe and have nice meals. And everything is pleasant. The hobbits in the Shire."

Musk, who is currently the richest person on Earth with a net worth of $503.8 billion as per Forbes, continued: "The reason they've been able to enjoy the shires is because hard men have protected them from the dangers of the world.

"But since they have almost no exposure to the dangers of the world, they don't realise that they are there."

The 54-year-old then declared: "And so one day, 1,000 people show up in your village of 500 out of nowhere and start raping the kids.

"This has now happened, God knows how many times in Britain."

According to Rape Crisis UK, 71,227 rapes were recorded by police in 2024. And by the end of 2024, charges had been brought in just 2.7 percent of these cases.

Out of his horrifying figure, it's been reported that 1 in 2 rapes against women are carried out by their partner or ex-partner with 6 in 7 rapes against women carried out by someone they know.

On 19 August 2025, more than 100 women’s rights organisations - led by the End Violence Against Women Coalition (EVAW), Southall Black Sisters, Women for Refugee Women, and Hibiscus - issued an open letter to UK prime minister Keir Starmer

In the letter, they condemned the far right’s use of violence against women and girls (VAWG) to stoke anti-migrant and racist agendas.

It begins: "In the last weeks, we have seen how vital conversations about violence against women and girls (VAWG) are being hijacked by an anti-migrant agenda that fuels division, harms survivors and ultimately impedes the real work of tackling the root causes of society-wide violence, to the detriment of women and girls.

"We write as organisations on the frontlines of combatting VAWG to urge the Government to address this dangerous narrative."

The letter then echoed Rape Crisis UK's statistics:

• Almost one in three women will experience domestic abuse, and sexual offences are at the highest level recorded.
• One woman every four days in the UK is murdered by a partner or ex-partner.
• More than 90% of perpetrators of rape and sexual assault are known to their victims.
• One in two rapes against women are carried out by a partner or ex-partner.
• One in three adult survivors of rape experience it in their own home.
• Women who can’t access public funds, such as welfare support or housing assistance – due to No Recourse to Public Funds conditions – are three times more likely to experience VAWG.

The letter added: "We have been alarmed in recent weeks by an increase in unfounded claims made by people in power, and repeated in the media, that hold particular groups as primarily responsible for sexual violence.

"This not only undermines genuine concerns about women’s safety but also reinforces the damaging myth that the greatest risk of gender-based violence comes from strangers."

In short, the far-right are weaponising feminism, womanhood (specifically white women’s) and women’s safety, in order to further their anti-immigration agenda.

It didn't take long for people to call out the sheer idiocy of Musk's completely baseless remarks, with one X user writing: "Elon explains how people in little England villages are basically hobbits who are no longer protected by Legolas & Aragorn. You think I'm kidding?"

A second slammed: "Elon Musk describing us as hobbits in our shires who are protected from harsh realities by hard men really needs to be framed as some sort of peak insanity in public discourse. He doesn't even know what reality is, even in theory."

"This man talks so much nonsense it's almost funny..." lamented a third, while another hit out: "What the f**k is he talking about??"

And a final X user questioned: "How can he possibly get away with these lies, then pass X off as the new media? He is spreading these lies worldwide. A very untrustworthy individual, if you denied it to yourself before, you surely can’t deny it any longer."

As we say, such allegations are totally unsubstantiated and are just the latest in many of Musk's brash statements.

He has previously alleged 'civil war is inevitable' in the UK following 2024′s far-right riots, and he has repeatedly supported far-right leader Tommy Robinson.

Robinson is currently on trial in the UK, accused of refusing to comply with counter-terrorism police and says Musk is paying his legal bills.

If you have been affected by any of the issues in this article and wish to speak to someone in confidence, contact the Rape Crisis England and Wales helpline on 0808 500 222, available 24/7. If you are currently in danger or need urgent medical attention, you should call 999.