'Elon's gonna shoot me': Why Elon Musk's father is unhappy with his parenting style

Amid reports of Tesla founder and DOGE head Elon Musk fathering his 13th child, his own father has come out in the open about the billionarire's parenting style. Elon's father, Errol Musk in a podcast severely criticized his son's parenting style.

“No, he hasn’t been a good father,” Errol Musk stated in a widely shared interview on the Wide Awake podcast with Joshua Rubin.

Errol even blamed Musk for the death of his first child, Nevada Alexander, who passed away in infancy. “The first child was too much with nannies and died in the care of a nanny… Elon’s gonna shoot me for saying this, but that’s what I think. That’s no good,” he claimed.



Elon Musk is the father of 12 children from different relationships, including those with Justine Musk, musician Grimes, and Neuralink executive Shivon Zilis. His firstborn, Nevada Alexander, tragically passed away at 10 weeks old due to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS).

Errol Musk further claimed that his son’s other children were raised with little parental involvement. “They were too rich, too many nannies. Then he had five children with the same woman. Five sons, each one had its own nanny. You following me?” he said.


He also expressed concerns about the long-term effects of this upbringing. “The result is that the boys, along with Kimbal’s two boys, grew up unable to cross the street on their own. Even at 14 years old, my daughters would tell me, ‘Dad, you won’t believe it. Elon’s kids and Kimbal’s boys can’t cross the road by themselves. We have to hold their hands,’” Errol claimed.

Additionally, he suggested that this upbringing might have contributed to certain personal challenges among his grandchildren. “Elon’s got to deal with it. It’s a bit worrying,” he said, referencing that one of Elon’s children, as well as one of Kimbal’s, are transgender.

Despite Errol’s criticism, Elon Musk has occasionally made public appearances with his children. Recently, he brought his son X to a press conference at the Oval Office alongside former U.S. President Donald Trump. He also took X, along with his other children Azure and Strider, to meet Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the White House.

However, his former partner Grimes has voiced concerns over their son’s increased public exposure. “He should not be in public like this,” she wrote on Musk’s social media platform, X.