Ashley St. Clair is sick of people asking her the same questions about Elon Musk. “People treat me like I’m some Elon psychoanalyst,” she said during a visit to The New York Times in September. “They want to know, ‘What’s it like to hang out with him?’ or they say, ‘Not many people have spent time with him one-on-one.’” She sighed. “It’s annoying and laborious.”
You can’t blame them for asking. St. Clair, a former conservative influencer, gave birth to one of Musk’s children in 2024. ((At the time, she also had another child from a previous relationship.) This fall, she’s a significant figure in “Musk,” Alex Gibney’s nearly four-hour-long documentary about the world’s first trillionaire, and she has more pressing points. “This is about a deeper rot in our society, where we’ve equated capital with morality,” she said. “There’s a level of societal and individual trust that we give to people if they have money.”
Musk did not respond to requests for comment. After TMZ reported that Ashley St. Clair rejected a $40 million N.D.A., Musk responded via X, stating, “She was never offered that and has a history of making false claims.” He also condemned Gibney’s documentary with another post on X reading, “Gibney just assembled a hit list of people who either have an axe to grind or don’t even know me.”
Gibney, the Oscar-winning documentary filmmaker, first met St. Clair in December 2025. “Beyond Musk’s baby obsession, Ashley had a front-row seat during the 2024 campaign and was able to tell me things I didn’t know about Musk’s motivations,” he said in an email. Below, St. Clair shares her side of the story.
These are edited excerpts from the conversation.
Were you at all nervous about participating in the film?
No. I was familiar with some of Alex’s documentary work, like “Going Clear.” I liked that he didn’t have any fear. He has a history of treating facts and narratives with respect.
You’ve seen the film. How did you feel watching it?
What was both validating and terrifying y was the way the narratives harmonized. Me, Justine [Wilson, Musk’s first wife], Sam Harris [the New Atheist philosopher] and Geoffrey Hinton [the so-called Godfather of A.I.] — there are so many similarities in our experiences with Elon. I think when you’re able to take people who have never spoken to each other and harmonize a narrative, that is the truth.
What did your life look like when you met Musk in 2023?
I worked at a conservative news site, The Babylon Bee, and I was a single mom. I also had a public persona, primarily on Twitter, where I was repeating MAGA talking points. Elon followed me on Twitter and slid into my DMs.
How did you feel when he followed you?
I don’t think people understand the number of eyeballs that were on everyone Elon interacted with at that time. I was getting “Congratulations!” texts from people in MAGA. Right away, there were people saying, “She’s going to be his next baby mama.” I was about to turn 24.
And when did you meet in person for the first time?
We’d been DMing on Twitter, and then during an interview for the Bee, he asked, “Feel like going to Providence, R.I.?” Within an hour, I was on his plane. In Providence, we shared a hotel room, and he fell asleep listening to a podcast about Kublai Khan. It was all very surreal.
Did it feel like a romantic relationship?
I would say it felt emotionally intimate. We were in contact every day. But also I was never like, “I’m the chosen one.” At the time, he was this savior of free speech, and I was very wrapped up in all of that. I’d say there was a bit of idolization going on, too.
When did you start talking about having a child together?
In January 2024, we went on vacation to St. Bart’s, and he said, “You should have 10 kids! Let’s have a kid. My only limited resource is time.”
What did that mean to you?
I wanted more children, so it meant that I would always be able to take care of my kids financially. Also, within MAGA, it was seen as a stain on your character to be a single mom. So to have this bastion of the right who is very validating of that choice — that meant so much to me.
Did you have any hesitations?
Not until I was pregnant and I watched the custody battle between Elon and Grimes [who share three children]. It made me think, “I have to protect myself.”
When did you receive the N.D.A.?
I was two months postpartum. Jared Birchall, Elon’s money manager and henchman, sent the document in a disappearing message on Signal. We didn’t have a formal financial agreement, so at that moment, getting the N.D.A. felt like, “If you would like any kind of support, sign this.”
I see. They were saying, “If you want support, sign this.” What were the terms of the N.D.A.?
I couldn’t speak about Elon or anything related to our relationship for eternity, and those terms would also apply to my heirs. I could tell our child who his father is, but I couldn’t tell my other child, or anyone else. He offered $15 million lump sum, and then $100,000 a month for 21 years.
But you decided not to sign.
For me, it was more a moral question than a legal one. I told Jared I couldn’t sign it, and he responded with, “Why? Sounds like you want to use your speech as a weapon.” I told him my children’s dignity is not a commodity.
Did Musk ever talk to you about the N.D.A.?
No.
And now you’re a significant voice in Gibney’s documentary.
People need to understand that part of the reason I’m featured prominently in the documentary is that other people cannot speak. I don’t think we should lose sight of that. I don’t want to have to speak publicly. I don’t want to be doing this interview right now. But there is a web of N.D.A.s. I feel a moral obligation to talk about my experience.
Let’s talk about your transition away from MAGA. When did that start?
It happened slowly and then all at once. There were moments where I wasn’t OK with the things I was witnessing — the misogyny, the racism — but I was a coward.
What would you say to people who think, “She’s only turning left because the right rejected her”?
I’m not dumb. I was aware what would happen when I came out against Elon, and I was OK with it. There’s a video from before I was pregnant where I say I’m not a conservative. So there were already moments where you can see these breaks from the conservative establishment.
You posted a lot of transphobic, racist and misogynistic commentary. Did other people pay the price for your public image?
I think about that all the time. Recently I got a notification about hospitals ending gender-affirming care. When I read that, I felt immensely remorseful. I know that probably would’ve happened without me, but I still feel guilt for my role.
How do you see your role today?
My only job after years of propaganda and dishonesty and being involved in MAGA for almost a decade is to be honest and set an example for my kids. My job is not to set a new narrative about myself. My only job is to be held accountable.
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