According to the Wall Street Journal, Elon Musk offered conservative influencer Ashley St. Clair a one-time payment of $15 million plus $100,000 per month to keep their baby a secret.
In February, St. Clair, 26, claimed in an X post that she had welcomed Musk’s son, the Tesla founder’s 13th known child, five months earlier but had kept the birth a secret to “protect our child’s privacy and safety.” Musk, for his part, has asked on social media if his child is his.
The Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday, April 15, that St. Clair and Musk, 53, named their son Romulus, but she agreed to keep Musk’s name off the child’s birth certificate.
A recent paternity test revealed that Musk’s “probability of paternity” was 99.9999%, according to the report.
Musk has not publicly acknowledged the claims, but did say in an X post late Tuesday, “TMZ >> WSJ.” Us Weekly contacted Musk’s representatives for comment.
The Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday that Jared Birchall, Musk’s “longtime fixer,” offered St. Clair a financial package that included $15 million for a house and living expenses, as well as $100,000 until the baby turned 21. In exchange, St. Clair was asked to sign an agreement that kept the child’s father and her relationship with Musk private.
In an alleged text message to St. Clair, seen by the WSJ, Musk described himself as “#2 after Trump for assassination,” making it too dangerous to reveal the child’s paternity. He added, “Only the paranoid survive.”
According to the WSJ, St. Clair declined the offer because she believed it would make her son feel “illegitimate.” The agreement included a clause preventing her from disparaging Musk, but it did not provide her with the same level of protection. St. Clair was also concerned that the agreement did not cover financial support for their child if he became seriously ill, nor did it include a trust fund if Musk died before the child turned 21, according to the report.
Musk reportedly withdrew his $15 million offer to St. Clair after she publicly announced the birth of her child in February. He also reduced child support payments from $100,000 to $40,000, then $20,000, according to the outlet.
St. Clair announced the birth of her child on February 14 with an X post, claiming Musk was the father.
“I gave birth to a baby five months ago. She wrote, “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.”
She added, “I intend to raise our child in a normal and safe environment. For this reason, I request that the media respect our child’s privacy and refrain from invasive reporting.”
Musk acknowledged in March that he had made payments to St. Clair, but questioned the child’s paternity.
“I am not sure if the child is mine or not, but I am not against finding out. No court order is required. Despite not knowing for sure, I gave Ashley $2.5 million and am sending her $500 thousand per year,” he wrote via X.
Musk is thought to have at least 14 children, including six with his ex-wife Justine Musk, three with singer Grimes, and four with technology executive Shivon Zilis. In late February, Zilis announced the birth of her fourth child with Musk, which is believed to be the X CEO’s 14th overall.