Musk confirmed as father in St. Clair paternity case as financial, legal battle goes public

Musk confirmed as father in St. Clair paternity case

A New York court-ordered paternity test has confirmed that Elon Musk is the father of Ashley St. Clair’s son, Romulus, with Labcorp reporting a 99.9999% probability of paternity. The ruling follows months of behind-the-scenes conflict between Musk and the right-wing influencer, who refused to sign a hush agreement in exchange for millions and instead went public with her story, the Wall Street Journal reported.

Financial offers tied to silence unraveled in public
Musk, via longtime adviser Jared Birchall, offered St. Clair a $15 million one-time payment and $100,000 monthly support until the child turns 21, contingent on a strict non-disclosure agreement. But after St. Clair refused, citing concerns over the child’s legitimacy and safety provisions, Musk reduced her stipend multiple times—dropping it to $40,000, then $20,000 per month—just as her legal bills ballooned. Her attorneys say Musk is “weaponizing” money to enforce silence.

Trump ties and a secretive circle of mothers
The case exposes deeper details about Musk’s growing influence in Washington as a close Trump adviser and head of the Department of Government Efficiency. Behind the scenes, Musk has created a network of women with whom he is fathering children—many of whom have signed secretive agreements negotiated by Birchall. Musk has at least 14 publicly known children with four women, though insiders believe the true number is higher.

St. Clair refused to hide child’s identity
St. Clair, who had a romantic relationship with Musk in 2023, said the secrecy clause would make her son feel illegitimate. Musk reportedly asked to leave his name off the birth certificate, pressured her to deliver by C-section, and encouraged her to have 10 children. After the birth, he refused to speak with her directly, and she went public in February to preempt a tabloid report, writing on X: “Elon Musk is the father.”

Inside Musk’s ‘baby legion’ ideology
Musk has publicly championed pronatalism—the belief that declining birth rates threaten civilization—and told St. Clair he wanted to reach “legion-level” by using surrogates. He has reportedly recruited potential mothers through his platform, X, and suggested that educated people like Shivon Zilis, a Neuralink executive with whom he shares four children, are essential to humanity’s survival. He has described his offspring as a “legion,” a reference to Roman military power.

Musk’s control, NDAs, and private settlements
According to St. Clair and legal documents reviewed by The Wall Street Journal, Birchall manages most negotiations with mothers of Musk’s children. He has organized private settlements, set up housing near Musk’s Austin compound, and emphasized the need for secrecy. When mothers push back or seek independent legal counsel, they’re reportedly met with threats of financial retaliation.

A broader reckoning for Musk’s family empire
Musk’s tangled personal life is intersecting with his role as a central figure in both politics and industry. From his involvement in Trump’s 2024 campaign to his growing influence over federal cuts, the revelations shed light on how he exercises control not just over his companies—but over the women and children connected to him. The case with St. Clair is now proceeding in New York Supreme Court, where legal and financial terms are still being fought over.