Did Elon Musk’s father sexually abuse his children, grandchildren?

When you think of Elon Musk, it’s usually about rockets, Teslas, or his often headline-making remarks online. But this week, the Musk’s family has been thrust into the spotlight for a far darker reason.

A major investigation published on Tuesday has accused Elon’s estranged father, Errol Musk, of sexually abusing children and stepchildren dating back to the early 1990s.

According to a report by The New York Times, the 79-year-old businessman allegedly abused five family members in both South Africa, where he lives, and in the United States. The claims are backed by police and court records, along with interviews with relatives and social workers.

Errol, however, has denied the accusations, calling them “false” and insisting they are part of an attempt to extort his billionaire son. Still, the investigation paints a disturbing and painful picture of the Musk family’s private life.

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Here’s a closer look.

The shocking allegations

Many of the most serious claims in the New York Times story focus on a former stepdaughter from Errol Musk’s marriage to his third wife, Heidi-Mari Bezuidenhout.

Errol has been married three times and is the father of at least nine children and stepchildren.

The earliest reported incident dates back to 1993, when the stepdaughter from Bezuidenhout’s first marriage was just four years old. Relatives say Errol placed her on a row of trash cans at their home and touched her inappropriately.

The child confided in her aunt, who, along with other family members, reported it to the authorities. Although an investigation was opened, the charges were eventually dropped as part of Errol’s divorce settlement.

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Years later, in 1999, Errol and Bezuidenhout remarried. By 2002, the family travelled to California to visit Elon, Errol’s eldest son from his first marriage to Maye Haldeman.

During that trip, relatives and personal notes claim that the stepdaughter, then 14, walked into her room to find Errol allegedly sniffing her dirty underwear.

Police were called, child protective services in Los Angeles became involved, and a restraining order was issued against Errol, according to three people interviewed by the outlet.

As she grew older, the stepdaughter battled homelessness and drug addiction, which she said she linked directly to the trauma of her childhood.

Although Elon offered her some financial support from afar, when she was 29, she also reached out to Errol for help. Their relationship then turned intimate, and they went on to have at least one child together. Errol has publicly claimed they share two.

He told The Sun that he had simply been comforting her through a breakup when the first child was conceived. “We were lonely, lost people,” he said. “One thing led to another — you can call it God’s plan or nature’s plan.”

The allegations don’t end there. Other family members have accused Errol of abusing two of his daughters and a stepson. In 2023, his then five-year-old son reportedly told relatives that Errol had groped him.

Altogether, three separate investigations were opened, the New York Times reported, citing police and court records. Two ended without action, while the outcome of the third remains unclear.

Also read: Elon Musk's dad has a second 'secret child' with his stepdaughter: The many scandals of the Musks

Errol Musk denies charges

Errol Musk has strongly rejected the New York Times report, describing it as “false” and “nonsense.”

He claims the accusations were fabricated by family members “to get money from Elon,” and even alleged that children had been “put up to say false things.”

The outlet_,_ however, citing emails, personal letters and family interviews, reported that Errol continues to “maintain a powerful grip over much of the family.”

Errol insisted he has a good relationship with his eldest son, Elon.  “We’re very close,” he told The Independent, adding that they had even spent a weekend together about 18 months ago, though he conceded that “families do sometimes fight.”

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‘A terrible human being’: Elon Musk on his father

Elon has had a troubled relationship with his father and has maintained a long distance from him.

After his parents divorced in 1979, Elon chose to live with his father in Pretoria between the ages of 10 and 17. Biographers note that those years were marked by conflict and emotional strain.

Elon’s sister, Tosca Musk, has also spoken about their father’s behaviour, saying he would lecture his children and call them “worthless, pathetic,” often making “scarring and evil comments” and refusing to let them leave.

According to The New York Times, a relative in 2010 allegedly sent Elon a five-page letter urging him to intervene, writing: “We really need your advice, help and guidance in these matters because we daily see these children suffer.”

However, the SpaceX CEO has only occasionally “taken action to intercede" and has hardly spoken to his father. He had also called him a “terrible human being” in multiple interviews.

Speaking to Rolling Stone in 2017, Elon said of Errol, “You have no idea how bad. Almost every crime you can possibly think of, he has done. Almost every evil thing you could possibly think of, he has done.”

“He was such a terrible human being. You have no idea. My dad will have a carefully thought-out plan of evil. He will plan evil,” he added.

In his 2023 biography, Elon also said he no longer speaks to his father.

With input from agencies