John C. Reilly rejects Elon Musk's warning about empathy: 'Empathy is a superpower'

• Actor John C. Reilly said in a recent interview that it's "crazy" to have to argue for empathy.
• He pushed back on Elon Musk's warnings that excessive empathy could undermine Western civilization.
• Reilly said empathy helps hold society together, including how we drive our cars.

John C. Reilly has a very different view of empathy than Elon Musk.

During a recent interview with the "It's Open with Ilana Glazer" podcast, the Oscar-nominated actor — famous for his silver-screen roles in "Chicago" and "Talladega Nights" — argued that empathy is a core trait that makes humans uniquely good.

"Empathy is not a trap — empathy is a superpower," he said, referencing Musk's previous criticism of empathy. "It's what makes human beings exceptional, our ability to look outside of ourselves. We're not an alligator trying to just get the next fish."

The comments highlight a culture war debate over a word that used to sound almost impossible to oppose.

Musk has argued that empathy has been weaponized — particularly in debates over immigration and crime. On X, he's repeatedly said excessive or misdirected empathy can become "suicidal" for a society if it is used to justify policies that he believes undermine Western civilization.

During a previous interview on "The Joe Rogan Experience", Musk said he believes "you should care about other people," but said, "the fundamental weakness of western civilization is empathy," calling it a "bug."

Elon Musk: The fundamental weakness of Western civilization is the empathy exploit

“There's a guy who posts on the internet who's great, Gad Saad, and he talks about basically suicidal empathy. There's so much empathy that you actually suicide yourself. So we've got… pic.twitter.com/XbQ6T5KUDt

— Eva Fo𝕏 🦊 Claudius Nero's Legion (@EvaFox) December 14, 2025

Musk did not respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.

Reilly framed empathy as the glue that holds social contracts together. He used a traffic light as an example: a driver without empathy would run a red light to get to their destination faster, he said, and risk smashing into other cars.

"And it's very Catholic, too," the actor said. "'Do unto others,' you know, 'Treat your brother as you would treat yourself.' It's crazy that we have to argue for these things right now. That's a really upside-down world feeling for me."