Ashley St. Clair, the mother of one of Elon Musk's children, has alleged she was offered a financial arrangement worth nearly $40 million in exchange for remaining silent about their relationship — a claim Musk has publicly and flatly denied. The allegation surfaced in an interview published by The New York Times on 10 October 2026, and forms a central strand of a new documentary examining the tech billionaire's life and influence.

Details of the Alleged Offer

According to St. Clair, the proposed arrangement comprised a $15 million lump-sum payment and $100,000 per month for 21 years — totalling approximately $40.2 million. She said the proposed nondisclosure agreement was transmitted via Signal, an encrypted messaging application, roughly two months after she gave birth in 2024.

St. Clair alleged the document was sent by Jared Birchall, identified as Musk's financial manager. The proposed terms, she said, would have barred her from discussing Musk and their relationship not only publicly but also with family members — restrictions she alleged would extend even to her heirs.

Why She Refused and What Musk Said

St. Clair told the newspaper she rejected the agreement because she found its conditions unacceptable, particularly those affecting her children. She described her core objection as rooted in concerns about how wealth and power are used to compel silence.

Musk disputed the account after an earlier report on the proposed arrangement. 'She was never offered that and has a history of making false claims,' Musk wrote on X, according to the newspaper. The newspaper also reported that Musk did not respond to its subsequent requests for comment on the full interview. Notably, the interview does not establish that Musk personally authorised the specific terms described by St. Clair.

How the Relationship Began

St. Clair described meeting Musk in 2023 after he contacted her through Twitter — now rebranded as X — where she had cultivated an audience by promoting conservative political positions. At the time, she was employed at the conservative satirical outlet The Babylon Bee and was raising a child from an earlier relationship.

The two began communicating regularly and subsequently developed a personal relationship, she said. During a trip to St. Barts in January 2024, Musk raised the possibility of having a child together, according to her account. She said she initially viewed the relationship positively but grew concerned after learning details of Musk's custody dispute with musician Grimes, with whom he shares three children.

The Documentary and St. Clair's Broader Reflections

St. Clair's account appears in 'Musk', a nearly four-hour documentary directed by Oscar-winning filmmaker Alex Gibney, which examines the technology entrepreneur's personal life, business interests and public influence. She told the newspaper her decision to participate was motivated partly by concerns about unchecked influence tied to extreme wealth.

In the interview, St. Clair also acknowledged promoting political rhetoric she now regrets, including commentary on race, gender and transgender people. She said her views shifted gradually and were not solely the product of her personal dispute with Musk.

Musk has criticised Gibney's documentary, accusing the filmmaker of assembling accounts from people with grievances against him or with limited personal knowledge of him. The allegations surrounding the proposed financial agreement remain disputed, and the story is likely to draw further scrutiny as the documentary reaches wider audiences.