Elon Musk is currently under fire on social media for allegedly neglecting his 4-year-old son, X Æ A-Xii, whom he shares with singer Grimes. Musk, 53, who has fathered 14 children with four different women, is being criticized due to a recently surfaced video dating back to around Donald Trump‘s inauguration on January 20, 2025.
In this video, which has gained traction on Reddit, the Tesla mogul is seen descending a steep staircase while his young son, X Æ A-Xii, trails behind. As the billionaire continues down, waving to the crowd, he seemingly leaves his toddler to navigate the stairs on his own. The SpaceX founder then disappears from view and exits the scene, forgetting to ensure his son is safely with him.
Elon Musk walks off and leaves his 4 year old son wandering off stage by himself.
This clip legitimately disturbs—and saddens—me.pic.twitter.com/BiYidgz6Ll
— Joshua Reed Eakle (@JoshEakle) February 23, 2025
Elon Musk Under Fire for ‘Abandoning’ His Son With Grimes as ‘Horrible’ Clip Resurfaces: ‘This Poor Child’
The video ignited a storm of criticism on X (previously known as Twitter), with numerous people condemning Musk for his negligent treatment of his son and for “abandoning” the child. One wrote: “I think in the context of the kind of emotionally starved upbringing this poor child will likely receive, being surrounded by unfathomable wealth is likely going to make things worse.”
Someone else added: “Elon Musk walks off and leaves his 4 year old son wandering off stage by himself. This clip legitimately disturbs—and saddens—me.” An additional user commented: “Child neglect is very sad. That child is going to have a hard life. Sure, he’s going to be unethically rich, but he’s not going to be happy.”
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One other replied: "He won’t want for anything material, but there are a lot of other emotional needs that kids need to have fulfilled to grow up healthy that he won’t get met." Another pointed out: "The video shows him dipping out on his son. Whether he walked back or not is inconsequential. When I go down stairs, my son is riding on my back. I never forget where he is."
Musk previously sparked controversy for bringing X Æ A-Xii with him to a press conference at The White House with President Trump, 78. After seeing new images and clips of her child at the Oval Office, his mother Grimes (real name Claire Boucher), 36, tweeted: "He should not be in public like this."
She added: "I did not see this, thank u for alerting me," she said, addressing the various X users that posted content from the meeting. This comes a few weeks before she called out her ex-boyfriend on X, claiming that "he won't respond to texts call or emails and has skipped every meeting."
The tech magnate and "Oblivion" artist shared three children during their intermittent relationship. They first became romantically involved in 2018, and welcomed their first child, X Æ A-Xii, in May 2020. The pair discreetly expanded their family with two more children: a daughter, Exa Dark Sideræl, born through a surrogate in December 2021, and a son, Techno Mechanicus, in June 2022.
