Elon Musk’s mother Maye Musk is renowned for her trailblazing endeavors. At 76, she continues to rule the runways, proving she is not your typical billionaire’s mom. She is an author, speaker, model, entrepreneur, an advocate of a healthy lifestyle, and a nutritionist. From gracing magazine covers to living with youthful energy, Maye continues to inspire many generations of women out there. However, behind her glamorous life, hides a dark past defined by her troubled marriage with ex-husband Errol Musk, her difficult upbringing, and her unwavering attempts to achieve success.
Maye Musk was born on April 19, 1948, in Canada. Then, she moved the South Africa as a kid. Her family was privileged but turbulent, leading to an unconventional childhood. Her father, Joshua Haldeman was a rodeo performer and a chiropractor. But his deepest passion was supporting the Technocracy movement. The ideology advocates for a government where technical experts are the decision makers rather than the elected officials. His opinions were also heavily influenced by white supremacist beliefs and conspiracy theories. According to The Independent, Joshua also openly made racist and antisemitic remarks. In addition, he also believed that the apartheid system of institutionalized racial discrimination was the mainstay of “White Christian Civilization.”
Maye grew up in such a radical atmosphere alongside her twin sister Kaye and two other siblings. As far as it’s known, she lived a high-class life in South Africa, sharing a huge mansion, and her family’s own aircraft. While her childhood wasn’t exactly usual, Musk eventually chose her own path despite her father’s conservative beliefs. At a very young age, she chose to pursue modelling. Throughout her prolific career, spanning over decades, the supermodel earned phenomenal success.
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However, her personal life has always been in turmoil, specially her marriage to Errol Musk. According to E!Online, the pair met in South Africa when they were in high school. In 1970, they tied the knot. They became parents to three children together: Elon, Kimbal, and Tosca. Despite having a full family, Maye and Errol’s marriage was far from being perfect. And one of the biggest reasons behind this was Mr. Musk’s infidelity. Errol himself confessed and even blamed himself for their divorce. He said, “screwed up the marriage, I was totally responsible. It didn’t work out too well in the end.” The two eventually got divorced in 1979 and later Elon Musk’s father revealed that he hadn’t spoken with Maye for “37 years.”
While, Errol took responsibility for the split, Maye Musk painted the marriage in a much darker way. She accused him of physical and emotional abuse, citing that she always had to live with fear and mistreatment throughout their years of their marriage. “Everybody I knew called him “the Pig” because he treated me so badly in public. And I was too scared to tell anyone,” the author told Harper’s Bazar in a 2018 interview.
Maye Musk, mother to Elon, Kimbal, & Tosca, endured significant struggles as she raised her three children single-handedly. After divorcing their father, Errol Musk, she found herself in a dire financial situation. She worked multiple jobs, including modeling & running her own… pic.twitter.com/MmNoM16OQa
— Teslaconomics (@Teslaconomics) July 31, 2023
Following her divorce, Maye had a difficult life raising her three children as a single mother. She worked extremely hard to build her modelling career, while also working as a dietician. So, it’s not surprising, that she still has a close bond with all of her children. More notably, she has always been proud about Elon. “I think he’s the genius of the world, and people are loving him for that!”, she once said. Maye has also made several public appearances with her eldest. She was there with him at the Met Gala and Heidi Klum’s Halloween party.
Not only in his personal life, Maye has also been voicing her support for Elon’s political and business interests. She has defended him against the critics and even spoke positively about Musk’s alliance with Donald Trump. “They do get along well. Trump just likes someone he can completely trust who doesn’t have any alternative motives,” Maye Musk said.
Her unconventional childhood, troubled marriage, and her close relationship with her children is what shaped Maye Musk. Her dark past has continuously drove her towards success, towards her current graceful life at the age of 76.
