Why Does Elon Musk Have so Many Kids?

Elon Musk has been at the center of various controversies in recent years, from receiving backlash toward his anti-trans viewpoints to his murky role in the Trump administration. One of his most pervasive controversies has been his growing brood.

The SpaceX CEO is the father of 13, likely 14, children with four different women, leading many critics to highlight the hypocrisy of his political allies' push for traditional family values.

According to Glamour, Musk's journey to fatherhood began with Canadian author Justine Wilson, whom he married in 2000. The couple's first child, Nevada, died of sudden infant death syndrome at 10 weeks old. They subsequently had twins, Griffin and Vivian, in 2004, and triplets, Kai, Saxon and Damian, in 2006.

In 2018, Musk began an on-again, off-again relationship with Grimes, resulting in three children: son X AE A-XII, born in May 2020; daughter Exa Dark Sideræl, born via surrogate in December 2021; and son Techno Mechanicus, born via surrogate in June 2022.

Additionally, Musk fathered twins as well as two other children with Neuralink executive Shivon Zilis, and he's currently embroiled in a paternity dispute with conservative influencer Ashley St. Clair over their alleged lovechild.

READ MORE: What Elon Musk's Baby Mamas Have Said About Him

But why does Elon Musk have so many children with so many different women?

Musk's expanding family aligns with his outspoken views regarding global population rates. He has previously expressed concerns about declining birth rates, considering them a significant threat to human civilization.

"I think one of the biggest risks to civilization is the low birth rate and the rapidly declining birthrate," Musk once said, according to Business Insider.

"If people don't have more children, civilization is going to crumble, mark my words," he added.

Musk also claims the solution to population decline is teaching a “fear of childlessness," the Irish Star reports, and he's often shared his thoughts about the U.S. birth rate via his social media.

Still, there are others who have suggested Musk has a "breeding kink," and that getting women pregnant could be a turn-on for the mogul.

Speculation ramped up in September 2024 after Musk told Taylor Swift he would "give [her] a child" following her endorsement of Kamala Harris in the presidential election, during which Musk donated $288 million to Trump's campaign.

While Musk has never addressed any such fetish or responded to the speculation, his estranged daughter, Vivian, briefly addressed the "breeder" rumors during a rant on social media in 2024.

"I would mention the birth rate stuff, but I am not touching that weird 14-words breeder s--t with a ten foot pole," she wrote after accusing her dad of being a hypocrite and not caring about climate change.