Topline
The mother of billionaire Elon Musk’s former partner Grimes slammed the Tesla and X owner for allegedly withholding his children from their mother and great-grandmother, as a custody battle over some of Musk’s 12 children escalates, with another daughter accusing him of a “despicable form of abuse.”
The mother of billionaire Elon Musk’s former partner, musician Grimes, claimed Musk is withholding … [+]
Key Facts
Singer Grimes’ mother Sandy Garossino tagged Musk in a post on his social media platform X on Saturday, saying her 93-year-old mother “yearns to see and hold” Musk’s children—her great-grandchildren—“one last time,” including one of Grimes’ three children, who she “has not yet met.”
Garossino claimed Musk is “withholding” the children “and their needed passport documentation” from Grimes, and pleaded with Musk to “[honor] your agreement” and “return the children,” adding: “Please Elon, I beg you.”
Garassino’s post was promoted on Threads by Vivian Jenna Wilson, Musk’s 20-year-old transgender daughter, who had earlier this week blasted her father in a rare TV interview.
Wilson went further than Garossino, arguing Musk “has been illegally and continuously keeping” Grimes’ children from her “during the most important developmental period in a child’s life.”
Musk has not publicly commented on the allegations (Forbes has reached out to Musk for comment).
Grimes sued Musk for parental rights of one of their three children in October, claiming in a petition in San Francisco Superior Court that Musk refused to let her see her youngest son, Techno Mechanicus, who would be about two years old.
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Surprising Fact
The Canadian singer had demanded Musk let her see her son in a since-deleted tweet in September 2023, asking Musk’s partner Shivon Zilis to unblock her on the platform and for “Elon to let me see my son or [please]
respond to my lawyer,” many outlets reported at the time.
Tangent
Those comments mark the latest personal criticism of Musk as a father from people within his family, including Wilson, the child of Musk’s first wife, Justine Musk. Wilson called out her father after he claimed in an X interview with right-wing commentator Jordan Peterson he was “tricked” into allowing Wilson to receive gender-affirming treatment when she was 16. Musk also tweeted about Wilson, though he referred to her by her name at birth, Xavier, and said she was “born gay and slightly autistic, two attributes that contribute to gender dysphoria.” Wilson responded to those comments in an NBC News interview, slamming her father and calling him “cold,” “quick to anger,” “uncaring and narcissistic.”
Key Background
Grimes broke into the public spotlight on the heels of her 2010 double-barrelled albums “Halifaxa” and “Geidi Primes,” though she gained international recognition with her third album, “Visions,” and her two singles, “Oblivion” and “Genesis.” She started dating Musk in 2018, and in 2020 had the couple’s first son, X Æ A-Xii, whose name became a topic of confusion. They welcomed a daughter, Exa Dark Sideræl, in 2021, and in 2022, revealed they had a third child, named Techno Mechanicus (Musk has 12 kids in total). As a couple, Musk and Grimes tended to stay out of the public spotlight, though the pair appeared together as Super Mario Bros. characters Wario and Princess Peach in a 2021 SNL sketch. Following their split, Grimes joked last August her relationship with Musk was the “best internship ever,” and referred to his brash social media presence by telling Wired: “He’s just on Twitter, and he’s unhappy with woke people.”
Forbes Valuation
We estimate Musk is worth $233.8 billion, making him the richest person in the world. Musk reclaimed the coveted title earlier this year largely off the boosting shares price of Tesla, which has gained nearly 8 cents per share since late April. Musk’s comeback puts him above Amazon founder Jeff Bezos ($200.1 billion), LVMH magnate Bernard Arnault ($183.1 billion) and Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison ($171.6 billion).
Further Reading
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