Elon Musk has moved to seek full custody of his young son following a bitter and highly publicized dispute with the child’s mother, Ashley St. Clair, after her comments about transgender issues triggered what sources describe as a breaking point for the billionaire tech executive. The case has rapidly escalated into a high-stakes custody fight that places Musk’s approach to parenting, child welfare, and medical decision-making at the center of an intensely watched legal battle.
Elon Musk has stated he will be filing for full custody today.
Her statements have shown what she truly wanted and supported since he stopped contacting her.
It is the disgusting thing anyone could ever put on a child. It is so foul.
I pray she gets the help she needs 💯 pic.twitter.com/CjNS8j9Ypo
— AllyMarieXo (@allymariexo0) January 12, 2026
According to X, Elon Musk made his intentions unmistakably clear early Monday in a public response on X. “I will be filing for full custody today, given her statements implying she might transition a one-year-old boy,” Musk wrote as he replied to a follower urging him to seek full care of his son. The statement laid bare Musk’s concern that decisions about gender identity and medical intervention could be made before a child is old enough to understand the consequences.
The Elon Musk custody vow followed renewed attention on remarks made by Ashley St. Clair, who issued an emotional apology over the weekend regarding her past views on transgender issues. In a series of posts, St. Clair said she felt “immense guilt” over previous statements and acknowledged that things she had said may have caused pain within Elon Musk’s family. She specifically referenced Musk’s transgender child, Vivian, who publicly came out in 2022, saying she worried her past remarks may have caused “my son’s sister more pain.”
Elon Musk’s transgender child Vivian Jenna Wilson was born with the name Xavier Alexander Musk. The transgender child of the tech mogul legally changed his name in 2022 after turning 18, adopting her mother’s maiden name and formally severing ties with her father at that time.
Do you think my account’s going to get deleted if I say what I really think about Elon Musk threatening a custody battle over this statement?
I already posted it on BlueSky, the actual free speech app 🙃 pic.twitter.com/4FDZIUXt67
— Charlotte Breeze (@theCLTshow) January 12, 2026
Elon Musk generally refers to his transgender child by the birth name, Xavier, not by the name Vivian. In public comments and interviews, Musk has said he does not use the name Vivian and has described the situation as part of a broader disagreement over gender ideology and medical decision-making involving minors. He has framed his stance as one based on biology and concern over what he believes are irreversible decisions made at too young an age.
Ashley St. Clair also said she struggled over whether to speak publicly at all, expressing concern her words would be dismissed as disingenuous or motivated by personal resentment. She said she has been trying privately to learn and advocate for members of the transgender community she believes she hurt, while admitting she does not know how to fully make amends.
Elon Musk has spoken publicly in the past about his strained relationship with Vivian and has linked that family experience to his broader views on transgenderism, particularly as it relates to children. He has said he believes young people are being exposed to ideological pressure around gender identity at an age when they are not capable of fully informed consent. Musk has repeatedly stated that while adults should be free to live as they choose, he opposes medical or irreversible interventions involving minors.
Those views have increasingly informed Elon Musk’s public statements and private decision-making. In interviews and online posts, he has framed his position as one rooted in caution, biology, and long-term outcomes, rather than hostility toward transgender individuals. The current custody filing reflects those concerns being translated into legal action focused on his youngest child.
The dispute has drawn heightened attention since Ashley St. Clair revealed early last year that she had given birth to Elon Musk’s 13th child, thrusting their private relationship into the public eye. While St. Clair has not been accused of abuse or criminal behavior, Musk’s legal position centers on concerns about future medical, educational, and psychological decisions involving his son.
Elon Musk is reportedly seeking sole legal and physical custody, arguing that his son’s best interests require a stable environment free from ideological influence during early childhood. The filing is expected to emphasize Musk’s desire to retain final authority over major decisions affecting the child’s development.
The transgender focused custody case has also renewed focus on Elon Musk’s broader family history. Musk has five children with his first wife, Justine Wilson — twins Vivian (Xavier) and Griffin and triplets Kai, Saxon, and Damian. Their first child together, Nevada, died in 2002 at just 10 weeks old. Musk also shares three children with pop star Grimes — X, Exa Dark Siderael, and Techno Mechanicus — and five children with Neuralink executive Shivon Zilis: twins Strider and Azure, daughter Arcadia, and son Seldon Lycurgus.
As the Elon Musk custody case with Ashley St. Clair proceeds, the court will be asked to weigh competing parenting philosophies against the legal standard of a child’s best interests, in a dispute that has drawn national attention due to Musk’s profile and the cultural issues involved.
