Elon Musk and Grimes’ emotional, passionate, and sometimes inscrutable roller coaster love affair has come to an end. The couple announced on Friday (Sept. 24) that they were going their separate ways. “We are semi-separated but still love each other, see each other frequently, and are on great terms,” Elon, 50, told Page Six. Elon said that he still cares for Grimes, 33, but things just didn’t work out between them. “It’s mostly that my work at SpaceX and Tesla requires me to be primarily in Texas or traveling overseas, and her work is primarily in LA.”
Elon added that Grimes is “staying with me now” while their 1-year-old son – famously named X Æ A-Xii Musk – is sleeping in the “adjacent room.” X is the youngest of Elon’s six kids. He and his first wife, Justine Wilson, share five children together. Elon was also previously married to actress Talulah Riley — twice!
Musk and Grimes were last seen together at the 2021 Met Gala. Grimes walked the red carpet alone in a futuristic, Dune-inspired outfit that included a metal facemask and a sword. Elon attended the event but only joined her inside. The two attended a private Met Gala afterparty at club Zero Bond and were photographed leaving New York the following day.
Despite the “odd couple” feel of this electro-infused musician/entrepreneur love connection, their relationship thrived. In January 2020, the she confirmed that she was pregnant with their first child. “I feel like I was woefully ill prepared cuz I dunno if pregnancy is as visible or discussed as it should be. I just didn’t rly understand what I was getting into,” she posted to Instagram.
Three months later, she gave birth to their son. “Mom [and] baby all good,” tweeted Elon on May 4. Later that day, Elon revealed the child’s name – X Æ A-Xii Musk – and Grimes logged on to explain why they went with such a string of seemingly nonsense characters. “X, the unknown variable •Æ, my elven spelling of Ai (love &/or Artificial intelligence) •A-12 = precursor to SR-17 (our favorite aircraft). No weapons, no defenses, just speed. Great in battle, but non-violent + (A=Archangel, my favorite song) (metal rat).”
The Musk-Grimes relationship wasn’t without its oddities and controversies. There was the time that Azealia Banks claimed that she was staying days at Elon’s home waiting for Grimes to show up and collaborate (she later accused Elon and Grimes of being up to some “weird threesome sex sh-t to begin with,” a claim Elon’s rep deemed was “absolute nonsense,” per Spin.)