Errol Musk's Shadiest Takes On His Son Elon

Elon Musk's father, Errol Musk, has had his fair share of controversies over the years. One of the many weird things about Elon's dad that most people don't talk about is the fact that he fathered children with his stepdaughter Jana Bezuidenhout, who is 41 years younger than him. Speaking to The Sunday Times in March 2018, Errol acknowledged that Jana was just four when he tied the knot with her mother, Heide. The controversial couple welcomed two children and ultimately split up after 18 years together. But despite the long-standing nature of their relationship, Errol claimed that he didn't view Jana as his stepdaughter because she didn't live under his roof a lot of the time. He also clarified that their relationship turned romantic while he was comforting her during a breakup. 

"We were lonely, lost people," Errol confirmed, reasoning, "One thing led to another — you can call it God's plan or nature's plan." However, the rest of their family understandably didn't see things the same way. A Daily Mail insider dished that the SpaceX founder all but lost his mind upon hearing the shocking news. The rest of the Musks were equally infuriated because Errol had been the only prominent father figure in Jana's life. Unfortunately, it didn't seem like their criticism was enough to sway him. During a 2022 interview with The Sun, Errol announced that he had welcomed a second child with Jana, with their first being son Elliot Rush. While Errol has undoubtedly made some abhorrent parenting decisions, he still hasn't shied away from questioning Elon's parenting.

Elon Musk has fathered 14 children with four women to date (that we know of, anyway). And his own father, Errol Musk has made it abundantly clear that he doesn't think he's capable of raising them. During a February 2025 appearance on the "Wide Awake" podcast, Errol asserted, "[Elon] hasn't been a good dad." Then, reflecting on the tech billionaire's relationship with his first wife, Justine Wilson, he argued, "They were too rich, too many nannies. Then he had five children with the same woman, five sons all brought up. Each one had its own nanny." 

According to him, the X owner's 2008 split from Wilson only made them rely on outside help more, and they each had four nannies in their arsenal to help care for their kids. Additionally, Errol also stated that Elon and his first wife's firstborn, Nevada Musk, who sadly passed away due to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, was "too much with nannies and died in the care of a nanny." To top it all off, Errol claimed that his son wasn't a strong presence in his children's lives.

Although the father-son duo may not see eye to eye on parenting, they both seemingly agree that the world needs more kids in general. During Errol's 2022 chat with The Sun, he even proclaimed that he believed a human's sole purpose was to have children. As such, the then-76-year-old was open to fathering more kids. Elon shared a similar sentiment in a 2022 tweet on X, formerly known as Twitter, warning that declining birth rates were more of a cause for alarm than global warming.

In Walter Isaacson's 2023 authorized Elon Musk biography, he wrote that the controversial tech billionaire was subjected to harsh bullying in school because he was on the autism spectrum. On one such occasion, his tormentors beat Elon up to the point where he wound up in hospital. As the future businessman recovered, Errol Musk added insult to injury by screaming at Elon and berating him over the phone. As Isaacson detailed on the "Diary of a CEO" podcast, during the 2-hour-long tirade, Errol labeled his son a "loser" and defended the bullies. When Elon's father appeared on "Podcast and Chill with MacG" in November 2024, he explained his harsh position.

"Some boy's father had committed suicide and everyone knew, and Elon said to this boy, 'Your father was stupid,'" he recalled of the fateful day. Although Errol admitted that he, too, found the tragic incident "stupid," his son had still crossed a line by making his thoughts known to his classmate, who was obviously still in mourning. Likewise, when Errol appeared on the "Wide Awake" podcast in February 2025, he claimed that Elon didn't endure any bullying in school. 

Errol clarified that his son had a typical South African high school experience where people got picked on for not engaging in sports and other popular activities. Additionally, he posited that Elon's classmates didn't see him as an outsider because he was on the autism spectrum. Instead, Errol suggested that the immensely privileged life Elon already lived had made it harder for him to fit in. In fact, he claimed that he only learned of Elon's diagnosis through the media. 

Elon Musk's father, Errol Musk, wasn't thrilled about his new role in Donald Trump's administration, as the head of the Department Of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Speaking to "Global News Today" in November 2024, Errol argued, "Elon is not cut out for politics," per The Independent. He elaborated, "Politics is where you have to deal with everyone, from the very incredibly clever to the very somewhat not clever, the highly sophisticated to the very unsophisticated." And Errol, of course, didn't believe that the SpaceX founder possessed any of those qualities. 

Given all this, it's unsurprising that he confessed to Al Arabiya News in February 2025 that he, too, was weirded out after watching his son waving a chainsaw around onstage at the Conservative Political Action Convention (CPAC). And yet, Errol didn't feel that this bizarre behavior was a complete deviation from the PayPal co-founder's normal self since he apparently loved chainsaws during his childhood too. After stating that Elon's awkward demeanor greatly diminished his public speaking skills, he offered him a pearl of wisdom: "Cool it. Don't be so threatening," per The Mirror. 

Despite all his issues with his son, Errol professed that the offensive gesture he made at Trump's inauguration rally wasn't a fascist salute but a way to convey peace. Meanwhile, when he spoke to LBC News in January 2025, Errol accidentally undermined his son's authority in an attempt to defend him from the haters. According to his father, being one of the richest people on the planet didn't bring any real credibility to Elon's political commentary, and people could easily tune him out. 

When Errol Musk appeared on Australia's "Kyle and Jackie O Show" in August 2022, the hosts questioned whether he was proud of Elon Musk's achievements. Although Errol could've easily answered in the affirmative and avoided an awkward situation with a couple of nosy strangers, he instead decided to go with a brutally honest response: "No. You know, we are a family that have been doing a lot of things for a long time, it's not as if we suddenly started doing something," (via the New York Post). 

If that wasn't bad enough already, Errol essentially confirmed that he preferred his younger son, labeling Kimbal Musk his "pride and joy." To top it all off, Errol decried his famous eldest son as stingy and claimed he was only allowed to access their money after answering tons of questions. It's worth noting that during Elon's own 2017 chat with Rolling Stone, he asserted that his father was the stingy one in their family since he had refused to fund either Elon or his brother's college education. Likewise, in a 2023 tweet, the tech billionaire described having grown up in a "lower, transitioning to upper, middle income" home.

The X owner also dispelled the long-standing rumor that his father owned an emerald mine by pointing out that Errol actually relied on his kids for financial support even to this day. However, during Errol's interview on "Podcast and Chill with MacG," he confirmed that he did have a stake in an emerald mine, adding, "Elon knows all about the emeralds." Errol continued by proclaiming, "It's just because, you see, he wants to tell the people in America that he also had a hard time" 

Elsewhere in Errol Musk's "Kyle and Jackie O Show" appearance, he shared that although Elon Musk had accomplished more than most people could only dream of, he still felt like he was lagging behind with his life plan. And Errol agreed with his son's fears because they were aligned with the Musk family's way of thinking. Errol was also asked for his thoughts on one of the most awkward pics of Elon ever taken: A shirtless snap of him in Mykonos. In response, he pointed out that his eldest son hadn't been following a healthy diet and even divulged that he had tried to get him to use a weight loss supplement. 

Needless to say, Errol doesn't hold back on his criticism behind the scenes either. During Elon's 2017 interview with Rolling Stone, he confessed that his father wasn't supportive of his move to Canada when he was 17. "He said rather contentiously that I'd be back in three months, that I'm never going to make it, that I'm never going to make anything of myself," the entrepreneur noted, sadly adding, "He called me an idiot all the time." 

However, Elon was quick to add that his father had only raised a hand to him in his early years. Additionally, the tech billionaire started tearing up upon acknowledging that Errol had committed unspeakable crimes and done some truly horrendous things. "My dad will have a carefully thought-out plan of evil," Elon said. "He will plan evil." Suffice it to say that their union is just as strained as Elon's relationship with his own daughter Vivian.