Elon Musk says he provided Ashley St. Clair $2.5M in child support despite doubts he’s the father

"I don’t know if the child is mine or not, but am not against finding out. No court order is needed," Musk wrote Monday on X in response to a video showing St. Clair selling her Tesla to afford child care, according to People magazine.

"Despite not knowing for sure, I have given Ashley $2.5M and am sending her $500k/year," Musk added.

Shortly after Musk's statement, St. Clair replied on X, accusing the Tesla and SpaceX CEO of using financial support as a tool for control and of refusing to confirm paternity.

"Elon, we asked you to confirm paternity through a test before our child (who you named) was even born. You refused," she wrote.

"And you weren’t sending *me* money, you were sending support for your child that you thought was necessary... until you withdrew most of it to maintain control and punish me for 'disobedience.' But you’re really only punishing your son."

She accused Musk of trying to silence her through the courts while using his own social media platform to publicly disparage her and their child.

"It’s all about control with you, and everyone can see it. America needs you to grow up, you petulant man-child."

A representative for Musk did not respond to People's request for comment.

Musk's remarks came after St. Clair spoke with Daily Mail on Saturday, during which she was seen handing over her black Tesla Model S outside her Manhattan apartment to a car retailer Carvana representative.

"I need to make up for the 60% cut that Elon made to our son's child support," she told Daily Mail, claiming Musk had reduced payments. She said she sold the US$100,000 car to cover the gap.

When asked whether she believed Musk was being vindictive, St. Clair replied: "Well, that is his modus operandi, when women speak out. You can check the stocks, I am not the only one who is cleaning up after his messes."

St. Clair said her last attempt to speak with Musk was on Feb. 13, but she received no reply.

Canadian author Ashley St. Clair. Photo from X

St. Clair sparked online debate in February after posting: "Five months ago, I welcomed a new baby into the world. Elon Musk is the father."

She has since filed a lawsuit seeking sole custody of her son, R.S.C., whom she says is Musk’s 13th child. In court filings, she claims Musk was absent at the birth in September 2024 and "has met him only three (3) times and has had no involvement in his care and upbringing." She has also filed a separate paternity petition.

St. Clair insists the lawsuit "is not for money" and criticized Musk for avoiding communication and failing to be a consistent father, even after defending his parenting on X. He has not publicly addressed the lawsuit or confirmed his relationship with the child.

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.

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 recently welcomed a fourth child with Neuralink operations director Shivon Zilis, bringing his total number of children to 14.