Author Ashley St. Clair claims lawsuit against Elon Musk ‘not for money,’ slams him ‘incapable’ father

On Feb. 21, St. Clair filed a lawsuit seeking sole custody of her son, R.S.C., whom she claims is Musk’s 13th child. She alleges the billionaire was absent at the child’s birth in September 2024 and "has met him only three (3) times and has had no involvement in his care and upbringing." Alongside the custody request, she has also filed a separate paternity petition.

Conservative influencer and author Ashley St. Clair. Photo courtesy of St. Clair's X

"This has never been about money for Ashley," a representative for the 26-year-old author told People on Feb. 25. "This is about protecting the best interests of Ashley and Elon’s child from a man who can’t be counted on to even communicate, much less act consistently in the role of a father."

The statement further accused Musk of prioritizing online discussions over direct involvement with his children.

"Mr. Musk spends more time on his own social media platform talking about his children’s mothers than talking to them," it read. "We tried to handle this collaboratively with Mr. Musk, but it takes both a father and a mother to do that, and he refused all conversations."

Musk has not publicly commented on the lawsuit. People reached out to his attorneys for a response.

St. Clair’s remarks came after YouTuber JerryRigEverything (real name Zach Nelson) criticized Musk on X, alleging the billionaire "abandons a 5-month-old, won’t pay child support for another three, and leaves the shield behind at a major event."

Musk dismissed the claims, calling Nelson "an utter liar."

"I have always paid extremely generous child support and without any coercion to do so," Musk wrote on X. "Sometimes the mother asked for money vastly in excess of what the children could possibly need, so that needed to be adjudicated."

According to her petition, she and Musk began a "romantic relationship in or about May 2023," and she became pregnant in January 2024. She claims Musk "acknowledged parentage of the child in various written correspondences," including a text exchange after R.S.C.'s birth.

She states Musk met their son for the first time on Sept. 21, 2024, spending two hours with him, followed by a one-hour visit the next day. The last time Musk saw R.S.C. was on Nov. 30, 2024, for 30 minutes, she claims. St. Clair also alleges Musk texted her twice, suggesting they have more children together.

St. Clair, born in Florida and raised in Colorado, is known for her conservative views. She authored the 2021 children’s book "Elephants Are Not Birds," which she described as an "unapologetic rebuke of transgender acceptance." She has appeared on Fox News and other conservative media discussing America’s declining birth rate, according to the New York Post.

She has contributed to The Babylon Bee, a right-wing satire website, and previously worked as a brand ambassador for the conservative youth organization Turning Point USA before resigning in 2019, First Post reported. On Feb. 15, she stirred online debate after posting: "Five months ago, I welcomed a new baby into the world. Elon Musk is the father."

Musk, CEO of Tesla and founder of SpaceX, is the world’s richest man, with a net worth of US$394.2 billion.

He and his first wife, Justine Wilson, had six children, though their first, born in 2002, died of sudden infant death syndrome. He has three more children with singer Grimes and another three with Neuralink operations director Shivon Zilis.

On Feb. 21, Musk’s ex-girlfriend, Canadian singer and producer Grimes, publicly called on him to address their child's urgent "medical crisis," accusing him of ignoring her messages, according to the New York Post. Musk has yet to respond to the claim.