Elon Musk’s ex Ashley St. Clair turns down $40 million after child’s birth

Ashley St. Clair says she turned down a reported $40 million payment after the birth of her son with Elon Musk, choosing instead to speak publicly about their relationship in a new documentary about the billionaire.

The 28-year-old mother appeared at the Venice Film Festival on Tuesday, where filmmaker Alex Gibney’s documentary “Musk” premiered.

St. Clair said the reported offer was presented through Musk’s wealth manager and would have required her to remain silent under a non-disclosure agreement.

Rather than accept the proposed payment, she agreed to participate on camera in Gibney’s documentary, providing her perspective on her relationship with Musk and the events surrounding the birth of their child.

Speaking at the festival, St. Clair said the offer prompted her to consider how much her ability to speak publicly was worth.

She questioned why such a substantial amount would be offered in exchange for her silence and ultimately decided that financial security should not determine whether she could tell her story.

St. Clair said she wanted to demonstrate to her children that material comfort should not come at the expense of what she believes is the truth.

She has previously said that Musk provided approximately $2.5 million in financial support.

Her relationship with Musk and the birth of their child have received significant public attention and have become part of the broader discussion surrounding the billionaire’s personal and professional life.

St. Clair also used the Venice appearance to discuss her own political evolution.

She previously gained attention as a conservative political commentator and had expressed right-wing and anti-trans views.

During the press conference, she said she now regrets some of the positions she promoted and attributed her earlier political involvement partly to her age and the influences around her at the time.

St. Clair said she became involved in Republican politics at 18 after meeting conservative activist Charlie Kirk.

She acknowledged that being young or influenced by others did not excuse the positions she previously promoted.

She said she hopes that speaking publicly about her changed views can help offset some of the impact of her earlier commentary.

Gibney’s documentary takes a broader look at Musk’s career, influence and growing involvement in technology, business and politics.

The filmmaker began developing the project in 2023, initially focusing primarily on Musk’s business empire.

However, the scope expanded as Musk became increasingly involved in American political affairs and developed a closer association with Donald Trump.

The finished documentary runs for nearly four hours, reflecting the expanding reach of Musk’s influence across multiple industries and public institutions.

Gibney said one of the biggest challenges in making the film was persuading people to speak openly about Musk.

According to the filmmaker, several critics, former associates and others declined to participate because they were concerned about potential consequences.

Musk was also approached for an interview but declined to take part.

He has previously criticized the documentary and described it as a “hit piece.”

The film explores Musk’s rise through companies including Tesla and SpaceX, his acquisition and transformation of Twitter into X, and his more recent ventures such as xAI and its Grok chatbot.

Rather than presenting Musk solely as a technology entrepreneur, Gibney examines the billionaire’s expanding influence and questions the relationship between his public image, business ambitions and political power.

During the Venice press conference, Gibney described Musk as a “very dangerous” individual and questioned his capacity for empathy.

He specifically discussed what he characterized as Musk’s difficulty with cognitive empathy, or the ability to understand situations from another person’s perspective.

St. Clair echoed that assessment, arguing that Musk’s behavior reflects what she described as a deliberate rejection of empathy rather than simply an inability to understand others.

The comments add another layer to a documentary that seeks to examine Musk not only as an influential technology figure but also as an increasingly prominent participant in political and public discourse.

“Musk” premiered at the Venice Film Festival on Tuesday and is expected to receive a U.S. theatrical release in October.

The documentary’s release is likely to generate further discussion about Musk’s business empire, political influence and personal relationships, as well as the growing scrutiny surrounding one of the world’s most prominent technology billionaires.