- Elon Muss’s first ex wife’s 2010 essay about him has resurfaced
- They divorced in 2008
- She says he was deeply critical of her
An essay Elon Musk’s first ex-wife Justine wrote about him in 2010 has resurfaced.
Justine, a writer, was married to the Tesla and X tycoon between 2000 and 2008, before he became as much of a household name as he is today. They had six children together.
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Musk abruptly filed for divorce in spring 2008. Just six weeks later, he had proposed to actress Talulah Riley, who had starred in Pride & Prejudice.
“Two of the things that struck me were: a) “Pride and Prejudice” is a really good movie, and b) My life with this man had devolved to a cliché,” she wrote.
“At least she wasn’t blonde. I found that refreshing.”
“I am the alpha in this relationship”
Justine’s essay recounts how her relationship with Elon evolved from their first meeting when they were at college in Ontario. He’d insisted they had met at a party she knew she had never attended and invited her out for ice-cream. Despite initially agreeing, she called things off. Nonetheless, he showed up to a student lounge with two ice creams anyway.
He continued ardently pursuing her, telling her he admired her ambition even when other men said they found it threatening.
After Elon’s first tech venture Zip2 took off, he became rich very quickly. He’d charm Justine by flying her out to Silicon Valley and buying her endless books. However, the red remained, such as the moment in their wedding reception in January 2000 where he declared: “I am the alpha in this relationship.” Justine dismissed it at the time but would come to regret it.
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When eBay bought PayPal in 2002, Musk’s net worth rocketed beyond $100 million. Away from their opulent lifestyle, the condition of their marriage worsened. Elon became critical of Justine, at one point telling her: “If you were my employee, I would fire you.”
“I barely recognized myself”
“I barely recognized myself,” Justine wrote of this period. “I had turned into a trophy wife—and I sucked at it. I wasn’t detail-oriented enough to maintain a perfect house or be a perfect hostess. I could no longer hide my boredom when the men talked and the women smiled and listened.”
After they lost their first-born son, Nevada Alexander, at just 10 weeks old to sudden infant death syndrome, things got worse. Elon pushed Justine to bury her grief and try for more children. She gave birth to twins via IVF in 2004 and triplets in 2006. By 2008, their marriage was over.
One of Justine’s children with Musk is Vivian Wilson, who came out as transgender in 2022. She filed a request to change both her first name and her surname to Justine’s maiden name.
“I no longer live with or wish to be related to my biological father in any way, shape or form,” Wilson said in the court filing.
Wilson claimed Ellon was cruel to her for being queer and feminine before she transitioned. Elon has frequently deadnamed Vivian and said he was “tricked” into signing off on gender affirming care for her.
