The internet exploded this weekend over the “scandal” that Elon Musk, the world’s richest man with a net worth of approximately $400 billion, has had yet another child, his 13th, with yet another woman, the fourth to bear his children. His social media platform X titled the trending controversy, “Conservatives Clash Over Celebration of Out-of-Wedlock Births” as opinions on everything from traditional values to the sanctity of life to single motherhood flew fast and furious.
Here is the background, if Wikipedia is to be believed (very often it is not): Musk had six children with his first wife Justine Wilson. Their first passed away early from Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, and they subsequently had five more (twins in 2004, then triplets in 2006) by IVF, or in vitro fertilization. Musk and Wilson divorced and he went on to marry Talulah Riley (twice) and get divorced (twice), but without children. He then had three children with Canadian musician Grimes and three more (two via IVF and one via surrogacy) with Shivon Zilis, director of operations for his company Neuralink. He married neither woman.
Musk’s latest child is reportedly with conservative internet influencer Ashley St. Clair, who revealed online that she gave birth five months ago after keeping her pregnancy a closely guarded secret (at Musk’s request). Musk himself, as of this writing, has not confirmed this revelation, but his silence on the topic essentially removed all doubt for the social media crowd.
Some posters on X blasted conservatives who cheered the unmarried Musk’s and St. Clair’s baby for their alleged hypocrisy in lecturing others about family values. Some conservatives, such as Daily Wire co-founder Jeremy Boreing, asserted that all children are a blessing from God (true) and that parents deserve congratulations rather than judgment, regardless of the circumstances under which they brought the child into the world. Many countered that, yes, we should celebrate life but not intentional single motherhood or sex outside of marriage.
Some commenters accused St. Clair of calculatingly getting pregnant by the mega-billionaire for financial gain. One internet pundit posted that the kid would be set for life, so what’s the problem? – as if money alone is a better substitute for a stable, two-parent home. Others said the pair were consenting adults who can do what they want, and that the whole affair is no one’s business – which is partly true, but the issues raised are of serious societal concern and worthy of debate.
Some pointed out that society condemns black males for irresponsibly fathering many children out of wedlock with multiple “baby mamas.” Former rapper and Mariah Carey ex Nick Cannon, for example, has been slammed for having 12 children with six different women. So why shouldn’t we hold the world’s richest man to the same standard?
This is a fair point. But the issue is not that Musk (or Cannon) has fathered so many children; the issue is whether he can parent all of them. Certainly if he had had all those children within the bounds of marriage to one woman, there would be no controversy or objection (except perhaps from environmentalist activists horrified by the size of the family’s carbon footprint).
I do not know how engaged Musk is as a father (though it was charming to watch him bring his mischievous son into the Oval Office), or what, if any plans he and St. Clair have for the future, but the reality is that the majority of his children obviously will not grow up with him as a full-time dad at home, nor will they even grow up with each other or with the same mom. Parenting part-time in a shared custody arrangement, while too often sadly unavoidable, almost invariably creates a toxic mix of confusion, jealousy, loneliness, and a host of other emotional and psychological issues for kids.
This should go without saying, but in a post-Sexual Revolution America ravaged by the breakdown of the nuclear family and by an epidemic of fatherless homes, it cannot be stressed highly or often enough: the best circumstances under which to raise children are in a stable home with a married, biological father and mother. Yes, many of us live in less-than-ideal circumstances, but as Katy Faust, co-author of the must-read book Them Before Us and founder of the pro-child nonprofit of the same name, posted regarding the Musk controversy:
Children have a right to their mother and father. Marriage secures that right. That's why marriage is a matter of justice for children. Something for which money, or ‘being set for life’ will never compensate.
Children are disadvantaged when raised by a single mother, living in two separate houses, or having sporadic (or even frequent) contact with their non-residential father, regardless of how wealthy he may be.
This is a basic truth which adults ignore or refute at our children’s peril. For their sake, and ultimately for our society’s sake, we must reject our broken culture’s siren call to indulge our short-sighted desires, and instead make life choices that nurture whole children, whole families, and whole communities.
Mark Tapson is a culture critic and homeschooling father of six. Follow him at his Culture Warrior Substack page.
This culture article was made possible by The Fred & Rheta Skelton Center for Cultural Renewal, a project of 1819 News. To comment on this article, please email culture@1819news.com.
The views and opinions expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the policy or position of 1819 News.
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