Ashley St. Clair, the writer who publicly revealed that she "secretly had a child with billionaire Elon Musk," has taken legal action by filing a petition in New York’s Supreme Court to secure sole custody and officially establish Musk as the father of her baby.

According to People, 26-year-old St. Clair submitted her petition on February 21 (local time), seeking both custody of her son—whose initials, R.S.C, derive from her own surname—and legal confirmation of the paternal relationship with Musk. The child, born in September 2024 in New York, has seen little involvement from the tech mogul; Musk, now 54, reportedly met his son only three times since his birth and did not attend the delivery.

St. Clair claims that the text message is a conversation between her and billionaire Elon Musk. In it, she sent a photo of herself with her newborn on a hospital bed, praising the baby as perfect when Musk asked about him. In response, he said he looks forward to meeting both mother and child over the weekend.
Photo: Supreme Court of The State of New York, County of New York.

A Tumultuous Love Story

St. Clair revealed details of her romance with Musk, which began in May 2023. By January of the following year, she found herself pregnant. In her filing, she claims that Musk “acknowledged the father-child relationship through multiple written exchanges,” including text messages discussing the baby’s arrival. To back up her claims, St. Clair attached numerous screenshots of conversations with the billionaire.

According to her account, Musk first met his son on September 21, 2024, spending two hours with the mother and child. The next day, he dedicated one hour to a visit, and during a subsequent meeting on November 30, 2024, his time with the child was reduced to just 30 minutes. Despite the minimal contact, St. Clair contends that Musk later sent messages urging, “We must have more children.” In one particularly striking exchange, Musk is said to have lamented about “receiving daily death threats” and expressed his concerns over security—claims that led St. Clair to leave the father's name blank on the baby’s birth certificate.

Legal and Public Reactions

In an interview with People on the same day as the filing, St. Clair’s representative, Brian Glickich, stated, “Ashley St. Clair has petitioned the court to confirm the father-child relationship and to secure sole custody in the best interest of her child. Prior to resorting to legal action, she made efforts to work cooperatively with Mr. Musk.” When pressed further, St. Clair declined to comment on the specifics of the lawsuit, insisting that the court documents speak for themselves.

Multiple U.S. media outlets have reached out to Musk’s representatives and legal team, but so far, no response has been received.

A Writer in the Spotlight

Born in 1999, Ashley St. Clair is best known for her acclaimed children’s book Elephants Are Not Birds (2023). Beyond her literary achievements, she has made a name for herself as a conservative voice, amassing over one million followers on X (formerly known as Twitter). Her appearances on Fox News, various podcasts, and online shows have solidified her status as a prominent commentator on issues such as declining birth rates in affluent nations.

Just on February 14, St. Clair stunned the public by announcing that she had “secretly given birth for Elon Musk” five months earlier—a revelation she said was aimed at protecting her child from negative rumors. The following day, she further captivated media attention by sharing details of her relationship with the tech mogul in an interview with the New York Post. Musk has yet to respond to either the legal filing or the media inquiries.

Elon Musk’s Family Dynamics

This latest custody battle adds another chapter to Musk’s complex family life. In addition to St. Clair’s child, the billionaire is known to have 12 children with three different women. His first child, born to his ex-wife Justine Wilson in 2002, tragically died at 10 weeks old. Following that loss, Musk and Wilson had five more children before their divorce in 2008. Later, during his relationship with singer Grimes in 2018, Musk had three children. Currently, he is also dating Neuralink CEO Shivon Zilis, with whom he shares three children—the latest of whom includes a set of twins born just weeks before Grimes welcomed her third child.

On February 20, Grimes took to X to plead for Musk’s response after one of their children reportedly faced a serious health issue. As of now, the U.S. billionaire has not commented on the matter.

This developing story not only highlights the personal challenges facing one of the world's most famous entrepreneurs but also sets the stage for what could be a landmark legal case in the high-stakes arena of celebrity custody battles.