'Don't know if the child is mine': Musk says he paid $2.5 mn to influencer

Elon Musk claims he paid $2.5 million in child support to influencer Ashley St Clair, who alleges he is the father of her child, though Musk questions the paternity of the 6-month-old

Tech billionaire Elon Musk claims he has paid $2.5 million in child support to influencer Ashley St Clair, who alleges she is the mother of his 13th child. However, Musk questions whether the 6-month-old boy is actually his.  

 

“I don’t know if the child is mine or not, but am not against finding out. No court order is needed,” Musk wrote on X (formerly Twitter) on March 31. “Despite not knowing for sure, I have given Ashley $2.5M and am sending her $500K per year,” he said.  

Musk’s comments came in response to a video posted by far-right activist Laura Loomer, showing St Clair selling her Tesla Model S, allegedly due to a ‘60% cut’ in support payments from Musk.  

 

 

St Clair accuses Musk of retaliation 

In the video, St Clair accused Musk of financially punishing her for speaking out. “That’s his modus operandi, when women speak out,” she said. 

Musk denied the claim but did not clarify whether he had actually reduced payments. Loomer, a vocal Musk supporter, encouraged him to sue for full custody of the child.  ALSO READ | When is Elon Musk planning to quit DOGE? Here's what Tesla chief said  “Everyone can see she is not being honest. Very generous of you to give her that much money after how disrespectful she’s been to you,” Loomer said.

 

DNA test dispute  

Hours later, St Clair fired back, accusing Musk of avoiding a paternity test. “Elon, we asked you to confirm paternity through a test before our child [who you named] was even born,” she wrote on X.  

 

She also pushed back against Musk’s financial claims, saying, “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.”

 

Custody battle unfolds 

The controversy began in February, when St Clair publicly claimed Musk fathered her child and filed for sole custody in the New York Supreme Court. She alleged that Musk had met the baby only three times and had no involvement in his care.  

 

Her legal team accused Musk of trying to silence her, saying he filed an emergency application to block her from discussing the situation publicly.  

 

Court filings from St Clair insist Musk is the father, stating that she “did not have sexual intercourse with any other male” during the child’s conception period.  

 

She also shared private text messages allegedly from Musk, including one from November 2024 in which he wrote, “I want to knock you up again,” and another from February 2025, stating, “Well, we do have a legion of kids to make.”