Musk is widely known for being a polarizing figure — from his takeover of X (formerly Twitter) and outspoken right-wing views to his ties with former President Donald Trump.
He’s also famously the father of a large number of children, a trait that appears to run in the family.
Musk is the father of 12 children with three different women.
He shares five children with his ex-wife Justine Musk, three with Canadian singer Grimes, and another three with Neuralink executive Shivon Zilis.
The billionaire’s first child with Justine heartbreakingly passed away in 2002 at just 10 weeks old due to sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).
Musk’s father, Errol, has been openly critical of his parenting. During an appearance on The Wide Awake podcast, he said: “No, he hasn’t been a good dad. The first child was left too much with nannies and died while in their care… Elon’s going to shoot me for saying this, but that’s how I feel. That’s not okay.”
Social media users didn’t hold back in their reactions, with one person commenting, “Elon Musk’s father might be the only person on Earth more vile than Elon Musk himself.”
Another wrote, “With a dad like Errol Musk, Elon doesn’t need any enemies.”
Musk and his father have long had a strained relationship, with the tech mogul once telling Rolling Stone that Errol is a “terrible human being” who has done “almost every evil thing you can think of.”
Errol has fathered three children with his first wife, Maye Haldeman, two with his third wife, Heide Bezuidenhout, and another two with his controversial partner, Jana Bezuidenhout.
Jana was Errol’s stepdaughter from his marriage to Heide, having been just four years old when he wed her mother. Their marriage lasted 18 years.
Years later, Errol and Jana reconnected.
“We were lonely, lost people. One thing led to another — you can call it God’s plan or nature’s plan,” Errol shared with The Times.
More recently, Musk’s father stirred further controversy by discussing his relationship with Jana during an interview with VLAD TV.
