Tesla CEO Elon Musk is once again at the center of a personal controversy after reports surfaced regarding a secret child with conservative influencer Ashley St. Clair.
The situation, which has sparked wide online discussion, appears to involve an alleged effort by Musk to settle things quietly and protect his public image.
According to reports from The Wall Street Journal, Musk allegedly offered St. Clair a $15 million one-time payment, in addition to $100,000 per month, if she agreed to keep the child and their relationship confidential.
The financial offer was said to cover housing and living expenses until the child turned 21.
However, St. Clair reportedly turned it down.
This development came to light after St. Clair publicly revealed in February that she had given birth to Musk’s child five months earlier.
In her announcement via X (formerly Twitter), she wrote, “Five months ago, I welcomed a new baby into the world. Elon Musk is the father.”
She also added, “I have not previously disclosed this to protect our child’s privacy and safety.”
The baby, named Romulus, was reportedly given only St. Clair’s name on the birth certificate.
Musk, 53, questioned whether he was truly the child’s father but a paternity test reportedly showed a 99.9999% probability that he is.
Despite this, the agreement offered to St. Clair allegedly lacked key financial protections for the child’s future, especially in the case of Musk’s death.
Moreover, the report noted that Musk’s trusted aide, Jared Birchall, handled the proposed deal.
The agreement was said to include a clause preventing St. Clair from speaking poorly about Musk, though she would not receive the same protection in return.
This imbalance was reportedly one of the reasons she declined the offer.
In a reported text to St. Clair, Musk wrote, “#2 after Trump for assassination,” explaining why he believed the situation was too dangerous to go public.
He also added, “Only the paranoid survive.”
Following her public statement, Musk reportedly withdrew the initial offer.
Child support payments were reduced from $100,000 to $40,000, and later down to $20,000, according to the WSJ.
St. Clair, 26, was said to be concerned that the deal would make their son feel “illegitimate” and lacked proper long-term support.
Meanwhile, Musk later acknowledged payments to St. Clair via X.
He posted, “I don’t know if the child is mine or not, but am not against finding out… Despite not knowing for sure, I have given Ashley $2.5M and am sending her $500k/year.”
This Elon Musk baby scandal adds to the billionaire’s long list of family stories.
Musk is now believed to have fathered at least 14 children, with six from ex-wife Justine Musk, three with musician Grimes, and four with Shivon Zilis, a tech executive.
Zilis reportedly welcomed her fourth child with Musk in February 2025.
Furthermore, it appears the original deal offered to St. Clair was Musk’s way of protecting his image and settling personal issues quietly.
As tensions rise between the two, the public remains curious about how the situation will unfold, especially given Musk’s influence and continued media spotlight.
