Elon Musk has publicly addressed recent claims by conservative influencer Ashley St. Clair, who alleged that she and the tech magnate are parents to a five-month-old child.
St. Clair, aged 26, made the assertion on X (formerly Twitter) on Friday, triggering a swift response from Musk, who denied accusations of a long-planned scheme to father the child.
In a statement posted on the platform, Brian Glicklich, St. Clair’s representative, revealed that the pair had been privately negotiating an agreement regarding the upbringing of their child.
“Ashley and Elon have been privately working towards the creation of an agreement about raising their child for some time,” Glicklich wrote.
The statement also expressed dismay over the media intrusion into their personal lives, citing the disruptive behaviour of a tabloid reporter.
"It is disappointing that a tabloid reporter, who repeatedly ambushed Ashley and her family, made it impossible to complete that process confidentially,” Glicklich continued.
“We are waiting for Elon to publicly acknowledge his parental role with Ashley, to end unwarranted speculation."
Responding to the claims, Musk, who is the CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, simply posted “Whoa” on X, following a post that suggested St. Clair had been plotting for five years to trap him into fatherhood.
St. Clair quickly rebutted Musk’s comment, accusing him of avoiding direct communication with her.
"Elon, we have been trying to communicate for the past several days and you have not responded," she wrote.
"When are you going to reply to us instead of publicly responding to smears from an individual who just posted photos of me in underwear at 15 years old?"
The world's richest man, who has fathered 12 children with various partners, including his first wife Justine Wilson, pop star Grimes, and Neuralink executive Shivon Zilis, has been no stranger to public scrutiny.
Musk shares five children with Wilson, including twins Vivian and Griffin, and triplets Kai, Saxon, and Damian.
With Grimes, he has three children—X, Exa Dark Siderael, and Techno Mechanicus.
Musk also has twins, Strider and Azure, with Zilis.
St. Clair, who made the announcement public in an effort to fend off invasive tabloid reporting, later stated, “I have not previously disclosed this to protect our child’s privacy and safety, but in recent days it has become clear that tabloid media intends to do so, regardless of the harm it will cause.” She requested that the media respect the child’s privacy and refrain from “invasive reporting.”
Several hours after her initial statement, St. Clair thanked her supporters in a follow-up post, adding, “In all sincerity, appreciate the kind words. Wish I did not feel the need to make a statement. Kids should be off limits for journalists.”
Despite the controversy, Musk has focused his recent posts on other topics, leaving the issue unresolved for the time being.
The story has raised questions about the balance between public figures' private lives and the intense scrutiny they face from the media, particularly when it involves children.
As the situation develops, it remains to be seen whether Musk will address the matter further or allow the private arrangements between the parties involved to remain undisclosed.
