Elon Musk reportedly distanced himself completely from his father after the shocking revelation
Elon Musk has made it clear that he does not want his children to have any connection with his father, Errol Musk.
The billionaire entrepreneur has spoken in the past about how strained their relationship has been, hinting that their past was far from ideal.
"You have no idea about how bad. Almost every crime you can possibly think of, he has done," Elon once said.
"Almost every evil thing you could possibly think of, he has done […] It's so terrible, you can't believe it."
Although he has never gone into full detail about his childhood, it was troubling enough that he and his first wife, Justine Wilson, made a firm decision to keep their children away from Errol.
However, Musk's distant relationship with his father became even worse when he learned something that left him completely outraged—Errol had fathered a child with his own stepdaughter, Jana Bezuidenhout.
This shocking revelation was detailed in Ashlee Vance’s biography, Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future. It confirmed that Musk and Justine had agreed early on that their children would never be a part of Errol’s life.
In 2017, Errol and Jana, who had reconnected, began a romantic relationship that resulted in the birth of their first child together. Later, they went on to have a second child.
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Jana had been part of the Musk family since she was just four years old. By the time she and Errol had their first child together, she was 30, while he was already in his late seventies.
Errol later explained that their relationship had developed while he was helping Jana navigate a breakup. However, his justification did little to ease the outrage that followed.
For Elon, the news was nothing short of appalling. The billionaire CEO was reportedly so angered by the revelation that he decided to completely sever ties with his father.
According to Elon’s biographer, Walter Isaacson, Musk had suspicions about his father’s behavior toward Jana long before their relationship became public knowledge.
"Elon was getting concerned that Errol, who was 56, was becoming uncomfortably attentive to one of his stepdaughters, Jana, who was then 15," Isaacson wrote.
"Elon became furious at his father for what he perceived to be inappropriate behaviour and he developed a deep sympathy for Errol's stepchildren."
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A relative close to the Musk family told the Daily Mail: "Errol got Jana pregnant. He is the father of her baby boy, but he was a father to her."
"The whole family was outraged when we found out. This is the reason why Elon is so angry with Errol."
"He is the only father she has ever known. And now he is the father of her child as well."
Despite the controversy, Errol has repeatedly dismissed the backlash. He has even gone so far as to claim that he does not consider Jana—or any of his stepchildren from previous marriages—to be truly his stepchildren.
Recalling how his biological daughter, Ali, reacted to the news, he admitted: " I thought she [Ali] would be supportive and understanding. She said I was insane, mentally ill. She told the others and they went berserk."
