Recently, the public has learned more about Elon Musk’s family, particularly his father, and they’ve expressed their reactions on social media.
Elon Musk has been in the spotlight lately due to his involvement with Donald Trump’s administration, where he was appointed as head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). However, after leaving the position, he found himself in a contentious spat with Trump.
The conflict began when Musk criticized Trump’s ‘big beautiful bill’, describing it as a ‘disgusting abomination’. He also made an accusation that Trump was mentioned in the Jeffrey Epstein files, though he later retracted this claim.
Amidst these controversies, it emerged online that Tesla CEO Musk’s father, Errol Musk, shares two children with Jana Bezuidenhout, his former stepdaughter, born in 2017 and 2019.
Errol Musk was once married to Jana’s mother, Heide, in the 1990s when Jana was just 4 years old, and the couple divorced in 2010.
Years later, at the age of 30, Jana and Errol entered into a romantic relationship after ‘reconnecting’ post her breakup. Errol, a South African businessman, told The Times: “We were lonely, lost people. One thing led to another — you can call it God’s plan or nature’s plan.”
An X account discussed this event, stating: “When I learned this against my will it f****d me up for at least a week.”
The account further commented: “To make it worse, Elon’s father also had 2 biological children with his ex wife, who is his ex step daughter, now baby momma’s, mother.”
Many were shocked, with one individual expressing: “Disgusting.”
Some seemed perplexed by the family ties, asking: “Wait ima tryna do the math, can someone draw me a family tree.”
In various interviews, Errol Musk has discussed his relationship with Jana, noting that he didn’t see her as a stepdaughter since she was mostly raised away from the family (via People).
In a 2022 interview with The Sun, Errol disclosed that he and Jana no longer live together, citing their 42-year age gap as a factor in their separation.
He shared (via The Independent): “It’s not practical. She’s 35. Eventually if I’m still around, she might wind up back with me.”
He mentioned that they still maintain ‘a lot of affection for each other’.
Errol reflected: “So any man who marries a woman, even if you feel very sprightly, it’s going to be nice for a while. But there’s a big gap… And that gap is going to show itself.”
Regarding his children with Heide’s feelings on the matter, he noted they ‘still don’t like it,’ adding: “They still feel a bit creepy about it, because she’s their sister. Their half-sister.”
Musk has previously spoken candidly about his father, describing him in a 2017 Rolling Stone interview as a ‘terrible human being’.
“You have no idea,” he remarked to the publication at the time.