Elon Musk, the billionaire CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, has once again found himself embroiled in a public controversy, this time involving Ashley St. Clair, a 26-year-old conservative influencer who claims to be the mother of his 13th child. On March 31, 2025, Musk took to X to address St. Clair’s allegations that he drastically reduced her child support payments, revealing that he has already provided her with $2.5 million and is sending $500,000 annually—despite admitting, “I don’t know if the child is mine or not.” The statement has ignited a firestorm of debate, shedding light on Musk’s complex personal life and raising questions about his responsibilities as a father amid his high-profile role in the Trump administration.
St. Clair, a MAGA influencer known for her anti-trans children’s book Elephants Are Not Birds, first made headlines on February 14, 2025, when she announced on X that she had given birth to Musk’s son, identified only as “R.S.C.,” in September 2024. She claimed the child was conceived during a January 2024 trip to Saint Barthélemy, following Musk’s alleged outreach via DMs in May 2023. According to St. Clair, Musk initially provided financial support but imposed strict conditions, including NDAs and isolation during her pregnancy. However, after she went public and filed for sole custody in a New York court, St. Clair alleges that Musk retaliated by slashing her child support by 60%, forcing her to sell her $100,000 Tesla Model S on March 29 to cover expenses for her two children, including a three-year-old son from a previous relationship.
Musk’s response on X came in reply to far-right activist Laura Loomer, who posted a video of St. Clair selling her Tesla and labeled her a “gold digger.” Musk wrote, “I don’t know if the child is mine or not, but am not against finding out. No court order is needed. Despite not knowing for sure, I have given Ashley $2.5M and am sending her $500k/year.” The admission of uncertainty about paternity, paired with the significant financial support, has raised eyebrows, with St. Clair quickly responding on X. She accused Musk of refusing a paternity test before their child was born and claimed he reduced support to “maintain control and punish me for ‘disobedience.’” She added, “It’s ironic that your last effort in court was to try to gag me while you use a social media channel you literally own to distribute derogatory messages about me and our child to the entire world.”
The escalating feud has intensified an ongoing legal battle in the New York Supreme Court, where St. Clair is seeking sole custody and a paternity test. Her attorneys at Bikel Rosenthal & Schanfield, LLP, have accused Musk of financial retaliation, stating, “Elon Musk has financially retaliated against his own child and reduced his financial support substantially and unilaterally.” Court documents reveal that Musk has met the child only three times—once for two hours, once for an hour, and once for 30 minutes—and has not been actively involved in his upbringing. St. Clair’s filing includes alleged text messages from Musk, such as one saying, “I want to knock you up again,” and another expressing concern that a security mistake could mean “R.S.C. will never know his father.”
Public reaction has been sharply divided. On X, some users have supported St. Clair, with one writing, “Elon Musk cutting support for his own child is despicable—shame on him.” Others have echoed Loomer’s sentiments, questioning St. Clair’s motives and labeling her a “professional gaslighter.” The controversy has also drawn commentary from figures like Megyn Kelly, who blamed St. Clair for her choices, while Musk’s estranged daughter, Vivian Wilson, recently called him a “pathetic man-child,” adding to the narrative of Musk’s strained family relationships.
Musk’s personal life has long been a subject of scrutiny. He has 13 other children with three women—Justine Wilson, Grimes, and Shivon Zilis—and has been vocal about his concerns over declining birth rates, often framing his large family as a response to a “population collapse.” However, his relationships with his children and their mothers have been fraught, with allegations of control and neglect surfacing repeatedly. St. Clair’s case comes at a challenging time for Musk, who reclaimed the No. 1 spot on the 2025 Forbes Billionaires List with a $342 billion net worth but is facing backlash for his role in the Trump administration’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which has been linked to federal layoffs and protests against Tesla, contributing to a 13% stock drop in Q1 2025.
As the legal battle continues, Musk’s claim of providing $2.5 million to St. Clair, despite his uncertainty about paternity, has only deepened the controversy. The saga underscores the stark contrast between Musk’s public persona as a visionary leader and the private struggles that define his personal life, leaving the world to watch as this high-stakes drama unfolds with a child’s future at its center.
