Elon Musk’s personal life is as complicated and captivating as his business ventures. Musk, the CEO of Tesla, SpaceX, Neuralink, and The Boring Company, has become one of the most influential entrepreneurs of the 21st century. While his professional achievements have garnered much attention, his marriages and relationships have also been a source of public fascination. Throughout his life, Musk’s romantic entanglements have received media scrutiny, largely due to his status as one of the wealthiest and most powerful men in the world.
Elon Musk’s Early Years and Marriage to Justine Wilson
Elon Musk was born in 1971 in Pretoria, South Africa, and moved to Canada to attend Queen’s University. It was there that he met his first wife, Canadian author Justine Wilson, who would go on to become the mother of his first five children. Musk and Wilson met in the mid-1990s while Musk was studying at the University of Pennsylvania. They quickly formed a connection and married in 2000, a few years before Musk’s rise to fame with the founding of PayPal, which he later sold to eBay.
Musk and Wilson’s marriage faced numerous challenges, and after eight years together, they decided to divorce in 2008. Despite their separation, the two remain cordial and co-parent their five children. Their first son, Nevada Alexander Musk, was born in 2002 but tragically passed away from sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) when he was just 10 weeks old. The couple then turned to in vitro fertilization (IVF) and were successful in having twins Griffin and Xavier Musk in 2004. In 2006, they had triplets: Damian, Saxon, and Kai Musk.
The Relationship with Talulah Riley: Two Marriages and Divorces
In 2008, just a year after his divorce from Wilson, Musk began dating English actress Talulah Riley, who is known for her roles in films like Pride & Prejudice and St. Trinian’s. Musk and Riley married in 2010, but their relationship was far from conventional. They divorced in 2012, but in a surprising turn of events, the two reconciled in 2013 and remarried. However, their second marriage ended in divorce again in 2016.
Their split attracted media attention, as Musk and Riley’s on-again, off-again relationship was subject to intense scrutiny. Musk later explained that the divorce was a difficult decision for both of them but was ultimately necessary. In a 2017 interview with Rolling Stone, Musk discussed how his deep commitment to work and his single-minded focus on his companies made it challenging to maintain a healthy relationship. Despite their separation, Musk has spoken highly of Riley and has maintained a friendship with her, which is not uncommon in the high-pressure world they both inhabit.
Amber Heard: A Brief but Intense Romance
Following his second divorce from Talulah Riley, Musk’s name was linked to actress Amber Heard. The relationship between Musk and Heard began in 2017, after Heard’s highly publicized divorce from actor Johnny Depp. The two were spotted together on several occasions, and their chemistry was undeniable.
Their romance was widely covered in the press, especially since Musk was still very much in the public eye, and Heard was involved in one of the most talked-about celebrity divorces of the time. Their relationship, however, was short-lived, lasting only a few months. Both parties spoke candidly about their breakup, with Musk claiming that the relationship had been difficult due to their demanding schedules and personal commitments.
Elon Musk’s Relationship with Grimes: A Partnership and Parenthood
Perhaps Musk’s most talked-about relationship was with Canadian musician Claire Boucher, known professionally as Grimes. The two began dating in 2018, a relationship that captivated the public because of its unconventional nature. Grimes, an experimental artist known for her avant-garde style, and Musk, a tech mogul with interests in space and artificial intelligence, made for an unlikely pair.
The couple later welcomed another child, Exa Dark Sideræl Musk, via surrogate in 2021. Exa was born quietly, and the couple maintained a low profile about the birth. In 2023, Musk confirmed that he and Grimes had a third child, Techno Mechanicus Musk, making their family even more complex.
The Shivon Zilis Connection: Musk’s More Private Family Life
In addition to his relationships with prominent public figures like Grimes and Heard, Musk has also had more private relationships. In 2021, it was revealed that Musk had fathered twins with Shivon Zilis, a top executive at his company Neuralink. Zilis and Musk’s relationship was not publicly known until the birth of their children, which led to a flurry of media attention.
The birth of these twins increased Musk’s total number of children to 11, and many speculated that his personal life was becoming even more complicated. Although Musk’s relationship with Zilis remains private, the news of the twins’ birth was notable, especially since Musk’s other children, particularly his older ones, expressed shock and disappointment when they learned about the addition of Musk’s other children.
The Complex Dynamics of Musk’s Family and the Future
As of 2025, Musk has become a father to 14 children, which include his children from his marriages to Justine Wilson and Talulah Riley, as well as his relationships with Grimes and Shivon Zilis. While many view Musk’s expanding family as a source of curiosity, his children’s reactions to his personal life have revealed the complexities involved in being a child of someone as high-profile as Musk.
Musk’s first child with Justine Wilson, Xavier, legally changed her name to Vivian Jenna Wilson in 2022 and publicly distanced herself from her father’s high-profile life. This marked a significant moment, as it showcased the strain that Musk’s lifestyle had on his family. Xavier’s decision to legally change her name highlighted her desire for autonomy and separation from her father’s influence, which underscored the challenges that come with being raised in a family of such public figures.
FAQ’s
Who is Elon Musk’s wife?
Elon Musk has been married three times to two women, but as of now, he is not married. His most recent significant relationship was with the musician Grimes (Claire Boucher), but they have never formally married. Musk’s past wives include Justine Wilson, a Canadian author, and Talulah Riley, an English actress. Musk and Grimes have been on and off since 2018, and while they share children, they have been described as being in a “semi-separated” relationship, according to Musk himself.
Who is Elon Musk’s first wife, Justine Wilson?
Justine Wilson, born in 1972 in Canada, was Elon Musk’s first wife. The couple married in 2000, and together they had six children. Their first child, Nevada, tragically passed away from sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) when he was just 10 weeks old. They later had twins (Griffin and Xavier) in 2004, followed by triplets (Damian, Saxon, and Kai) in 2006, all through in vitro fertilization (IVF). The couple divorced in 2008. After the divorce, Justine Wilson focused on her career as a writer and has publicly spoken about her experiences with Musk, noting the complexities of their marriage and his intense focus on his businesses.
To Conclude,
Elon Musk’s marriages and relationships reveal a man deeply focused on his professional pursuits, which have defined his public persona. His marital history, marked by multiple divorces and complicated relationships, provides a fascinating contrast to his entrepreneurial successes. As of 2025, Musk remains a complex figure whose personal life continues to evolve, but it is clear that his ambition to push the boundaries of technology and space exploration has always taken precedence.
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