Inside the turbulent personal life of Elon Musk, who had secret twins with an exec, got divorced 3 times, and was seen at the Super Bowl with Rupert Murdoch
- Elon Musk is always making headlines for his personal life as well as professional achievements.
- He’s been divorced three times, dated celebrities, and has nine children, including twins.
- Musk is also the CEO of Tesla, SpaceX, and now Twitter. Keep reading for more on his wild life.
Born in 1971 in Pretoria, South Africa, Musk was the eldest of three children. His mother, Maye Musk, is a Canadian model who’s appeared on the cover of Time and became a CoverGirl spokesperson at 69. His father Errol is an engineer.
Musk told Rolling Stone he’s struggled with loneliness since childhood. “When I was a child, there’s one thing I said,” Musk said. “‘I never want to be alone.’”
Elon Musk. REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni
Source: Rolling Stone, Insider
Overall, Musk’s childhood was far from idyllic. He was ruthlessly bullied in school, and even ended up hospitalized after his tormentors shoved him down a staircase. Soon after his parents split, around 1979, Musk went to live with his father, Errol — Musk told Rolling Stone that they are now estranged.
Errol Musk. Denver Post Photo by Cyrus McCrimmon
Source: Insider, Rolling Stone
Musk is seemingly still close with his brother, Kimbal, and sister, Tosca. All of the Musk siblings seemingly share an entrepreneurial streak: Kimbal is seeking to make the food industry more sustainable and healthy, while Tosca launched the romance-film network Passionflix.
Kimbal Musk, Elon’s brother. Fred Prouser/Reuters
Source: CNBC, CNBC, Forbes, CNBC
Musk also seems to have a good relationship with his mother. Vanity Fair reported that he gifted Maye with a green Tesla, and she moved to California in 2013 to be closer to her children and grandchildren. She also appeared on Saturday Night Live when Elon Musk hosted in May 2021 and accompanied him to the Met Gala in 2022.
Maye Musk. Danny Moloshok/Reuters
Source: Vanity Fair
He met his first wife, Justine Wilson, at Queen’s University in Ontario, Canada. Writing in Marie Claire, she recalled that Musk invited her out for ice cream. She decided to stay in to study, but he showed up with “two chocolate-chip ice cream cones dripping down his hands.”
Justine Musk. Jason Merritt / Getty Images
Source: Marie Claire
Musk transferred to Wharton, but kept sending Justine roses. They went their separate ways, but reconnected as Musk started working on his first startup and Justine started working on her first novel after graduation. Justine said Musk wooed her by giving her his credit card to buy as many books as she wanted. The pair tied the knot in 2000.
The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. Charles Mostoller/Reuters
Source: Marie Claire
The couple moved to Los Angeles and had a son named Nevada, who they lost to SIDS. They ultimately had twins and triplets — five kids in total. In 2010, Musk has called his children “the love of my life.”
Elon Musk, Talulah Riley, and two of his children. AP
Source: USMagNews
The couple split in 2008. After his divorce, Musk began dating actress Talulah Riley.
Talulah Riley and Elon Musk in 2011. Nick Harvey/WireImage/Getty Images
Source: Bloomberg
While Musk and his first wife became estranged, Justine wrote in Marie Claire that she and Riley ended up getting along very well. She even sent her ex-husband’s girlfriend an email saying: “I would rather live out the French-movie version of things, in which the two women become friends and various philosophies are pondered.”
Talulah Riley. Jordan Strauss/AP Images
Source: Marie Claire
Riley and Musk married in 2010. Two years later, news of their divorce became public when Musk tweeted at Riley: “It was an amazing four years. I will love you forever. You will make someone very happy one day.”
Elon Musk and Talulah Riley. Mike Blake/Reuters
Source: Forbes
The couple remarried in 2013. Musk filed for — then withdrew — a second divorce petition the following year.
Elon Musk and Talulah Riley. Evan Agostini/AP Images
Source: POPSugar
In 2016, Riley filed for divorce from Musk, and the divorce was finalized in late 2016. The two are still on good terms, however — Riley even made an appearance during Musk’s Rolling Stone profile in 2017. “We still see each other all the time and take care of each other,” she told People.
Elon Musk and Talulah Riley. Mike Blake/Reuters
Source: Rolling Stone, People
Musk began dating actress Amber Heard in 2016, but they broke up a year later due to their intense schedules.
Amber Heard. Getty Images
Source: The Cut, Rolling Stone
In a comment on one of Heard’s Instagram posts, Musk said he and his ex were “still friends, remain close and love one another,” and added, “who knows what the future holds.” He later told Rolling Stone: “I was really in love, and it hurt bad.”
Elon Musk. Aaron P. Bernstein/Reuters
Source: Rolling Stone, The Cut
In May 2018, Musk arrived at the annual Costume Institute Gala at the Metropolitan Museum of Art alongside Grimes, a Canadian musician. At the time, Page Six reported that the pair had been “quietly dating” for a few weeks.
Musk and Grimes in 2018. Evan Agostini/AP
Source: Page Six
Grimes and Musk met over Twitter. Musk was planning to make a joke about artificial intelligence — specifically, about the Rococo Basilisk character in her “Flesh Without Blood” video — and discovered she had beaten him to the punch.
Elon Musk. REUTERS/Steve Nesius
Source: Twitter
Musk later told The Wall Street Journal that he loves Grimes for her “wild fae artistic creativity and hyper intense work ethic.”
Grimes. Vivien Killilea/Getty Images for Roc Nation
Source: The Wall Street Journal
In January 2020, Grimes posted a photo to her Instagram and Twitter accounts that appeared to show her pregnant. She later confirmed she was expecting a baby with Musk.
Frazer Harrison/Getty Images
Source: Instagram
On May 4, 2020, Musk announced the birth of their son, who he and Grimes named “X Æ A-Xii Musk,” seemingly pronounced “X Ash A-12.” “Mom & baby all good,” Musk wrote on Twitter.
Theo Wargo/Getty Images for Huffington Post
