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Elon Musk has threatened to ‘substantially’ reduce child support, Ashley St. Clair claims

Musk has also been accused of attempting to silence the mother of his sixth-month-old child with a gag order

James Liddell
Friday 21 March 2025 16:50 GMT
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Related: Jimmy Kimmel roasts Elon Musk over Tesla fires and Nazi salutes

Elon Musk has threatened to “substantially” reduce child support for the son he shares with Ashley St. Clair after the influencer sued the tech billionaire for sole custody of their baby, her attorney claims.

St. Clair, 26, who last month disclosed that she had given birth to the world’s richest man’s thirteenth child, filed a petition of custody with the New York Supreme Court in February.

In response to the lawsuit, St. Clair, a prominent MAGA figure, claimed that Musk attempted to attack her financially and silence her with a gag order.

“Elon Musk has financially retaliated against his child and reduced his financial support substantially and unilaterally,” her attorney Karen Rosenthal told People on Thursday. “He did this after Ashley was forced to bring this matter to court when he refused to respond to her many private attempts to resolve this matter without publicity."

“At the same time, he filed an emergency application to gag Ashley and prevent her from communicating about his actions,” she added.

Ashley St. Clair’s legal team claimed that Musk was withholding financial support after her lawsuit in Febraury
Ashley St. Clair’s legal team claimed that Musk was withholding financial support after her lawsuit in Febraury (@stclairashley/X)

Rosenthal said Musk’s gag order request—an attempt to restrict St. Clair from speaking publicly about the scenario—is still pending, but the judge denied the application because it was an emergency.

St. Clair has opposed the application to “preserve her right to speak out,” her attorney said.

Rosenthal urged Musk to administer the same transparency he dedicates to government in his private life.

Upon filing her petition on February 21 seeking sole custody of her child, who is known only as “RSC,” St. Clair also asked the court to compel Musk to submit a paternity test so he may be declared the father of the child, St. Clair’s representative Brian Glicklich previously confirmed to The Independent.

“Ashley St. Clair has filed paternity and custody petitions to protect the best interests of her child. She has made every effort to collaborate with Mr. Musk before taking this step,” he said.

Musk, pictured in the Oval Office last month with his son X, has reportedly not yet directly responded to St. Clair
Musk, pictured in the Oval Office last month with his son X, has reportedly not yet directly responded to St. Clair (AFP via Getty Images)

Musk is currently not named as the child’s father on his birth certificate.

The South African native has also not directly addressed St. Clair’s claims, though he responded with the single phrase “whoa” to an X post alleging that the woman had attempted to “ensnare” him for five years.

St. Clair claims she and Musk began a romantic relationship in May 2023 and conceived the child in January 2024 before giving birth in the autumn. She asserts she had no other sexual partners at the time.

On February 14, she posted an announcement on X about the child.

“Five months ago, I welcomed a new baby into the world. Elon Musk is the father. 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,” it read.

According to last month’s filings, Musk chose not to be present for the birth of his child but did visit St. Clair and his newborn son for two hours, days after his birth.

In one text message exchange provided in the filing, Musk appeared to acknowledge his son while claiming it was “necessary” for his child not to have his last name for security reasons.

In another message where St. Clair attempted to reconcile the dispute with Musk, the tech entrepreneur mostly ignored her message but, per the filing, said: “We do have a legion of kids to make.”

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