Elon Musk secretly had twins with a top executive last year, report says

Elon Musk
(Image credit: ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Images)

For the second time this year, Elon Musk is in the news for having more children than previously known.

The Tesla CEO secretly welcomed twins in November 2021 with Shivon Zilis, director of operations and special projects at his neurotechnology company Neuralink, according to a report from Insider.

The report cites documents showing that Musk and Zilis filed a petition to change the twins' names in April to "have their father's last name and contain their mother's last name as part of their middle name." The petition was reportedly approved.

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In March, Grimes accidentally revealed in an interview with Vanity Fair that she and Musk secretly welcomed a second child together, Exa Dark Sideræl Musk, via a surrogate in December 2021. They previously welcomed a son, X Æ A-12. In September 2021, Musk said he and Grimes were "semi-separated."

The Tesla CEO now has at least nine kids, including his twins with Zilis, two children with Grimes, and five with ex-wife Justine Wilson. In June, one of his children with Wilson, Xavier, filed to drop Musk from her last name, citing the fact that "I no longer live with or wish to be related to my biological father in any way, shape or form." The request was approved.

In May, Musk shared a chart on Twitter showing that the U.S. birth rate "has been below min sustainable levels for ~50 years," adding, "Past two years have been a demographic disaster. I mean, I'm doing my part haha."

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Brendan Morrow

Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.