Elon Musk has made it clear that he does not want his children to have any connection with his father, Errol Musk.
The billionaire has spoken before about their difficult relationship, hinting that his past with Errol was far from good.
“You have no idea how bad. Almost every crime you can think of, he has done,” Elon once said.
“Almost every terrible thing you can imagine, he has done… It’s so bad, you wouldn’t believe it.“
Although he has never shared full details about his childhood, it was troubling enough for him and his first wife, Justine Wilson, to agree that their children would never be part of Errol’s life.
But things became even worse after Elon found out something that completely shocked him—Errol had fathered a child with his own stepdaughter, Jana Bezuidenhout.
This revelation was shared in Ashlee Vance’s book, Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future. It confirmed that Elon and Justine had already made the decision to keep Errol away from their kids.
In 2017, Errol and Jana started a relationship, which led to the birth of their first child. They later had a second child together.
Jana had been part of the Musk family since she was just four years old. By the time she and Errol had their first child, she was 30, and he was in his late seventies.
Errol claimed their relationship started when he was helping Jana through a breakup. But this explanation did little to calm the backlash.
For Elon, this news was too much to accept. Reports say he was so upset that he decided to completely cut ties with his father.
According to biographer Walter Isaacson, Elon had been worried about Errol’s behavior toward Jana even before their relationship became public.
“Elon was concerned that Errol, who was 56, was acting inappropriately toward his stepdaughter, Jana, who was 15 at the time,” Isaacson wrote.
A Musk family relative told The Daily Mail: “Errol got Jana pregnant. The whole family was outraged. This is why Elon is so angry.“
Despite all the criticism, Errol has dismissed the backlash. He even said that he does not see Jana—or any of his stepchildren—as truly his stepchildren.