Elon Musk Is One of the Wealthiest Men in the World and He's Trying to Skimp on Child Support

Is there any stranger pairing than that of Tesla founder Elon Musk and the Canadian synth-pop musician known as Grimes? The couple was first spotted back in 2018 at the Met Gala but had been dating for about a month, a source told Us Weekly. From there they weathered several breakups until they finally called it quits in September 2021. "We are semi-separated but still love each other, see each other frequently and are on great terms," Elon told Page Six.

That wasn't the end for the unhappy couple, who share three children: X Æ A-Xii, Exa Dark Sideræl, and Techno Mechanicus. In September 2023, Grimes posted a lengthy statement to X (formerly Twitter) about keeping her children out of the public eye. Two months later, a custody battle erupted with Elon Musk trying to keep those child support payments low. Let's get into it.

According to Forbes, as of November 2024, Elon Musk's net worth is valued at more than $300 billion. Obviously, that means he should take his ex-partner to court in order to pay as little child support as possible. What a classy move! In December 2020 Elon relocated to Texas due to the COVID-19 lockdowns happening in California. Apparently, this move put a strain on their relationship.

Fast forward to November 2023, when Elon has accused Grimes of moving two of their children back to California in order to keep the custody battle out of Texas, per Business Insider. Per court documents obtained by the outlet, Elon sued Grimes (whose real name is Claire Boucher) in September 2023 to "establish the parent-child relationship," with their three kids.

A few weeks later, Grimes counter-sued Elon from California in an effort to get physical custody of their children, one of whom was still in Texas. This was something Grimes objected to and she said as much to a Texas judge. So, why does it matter where the custody battle takes place? Well, the state of Texas caps their monthly child support payments for three children at $2,760.

If this played out in California, the monthly payments would be calculated based on custody and income, reported Page Six. California-based family law attorney Alphonse Provinziano told the outlet that if Grimes's monthly income is $0 and Elon's is roughly $8.3 billion per month, she could stand to receive $702 million a month in child support. "It’s likely that the court would reduce that as an excessive amount, but it’s obvious that he would end up paying a lot in California," said Alphonse.

It is now up for the courts to decide which state has jurisdiction over the case. It could be a split decision since one of the children lives in Texas with Elon, while the other two reside in California with Grimes. There could be a trial, followed by an appeal. "This will only put the children at peril because they may not receive court order support pending this litigation and will be in limbo until it’s decided," explained Alphonse.