Politics & Technology
NewsOnScale Staff
October 14, 2026
Ashley St. Clair is a conservative political commentator and the mother of Elon Musk's 13th child. According to Variety, she was offered $40 million to sign a non-disclosure agreement and stay quiet about her relationship with the world's richest man.
She turned it down. She went on camera instead.
St. Clair appears in "Musk," a nearly four-hour documentary directed by Oscar-winning filmmaker Alex Gibney that premieres in US theaters on October 16. The film debuted at the Venice Film Festival in September and screened at the Toronto International Film Festival. Deadline called it a damning portrait of Musk and his influence.
What the documentary covers
Gibney began the project in 2023, before Musk became closely tied to Donald Trump's political campaign and administration. The film grew significantly as that relationship developed.
The documentary covers Musk's traumatic childhood in South Africa, including an interview with his father Errol Musk. It traces his early days in Silicon Valley through his acquisition of X, his role leading the Department of Government Efficiency under Trump, and his involvement in right-wing politics internationally.
Gibney examines what he describes as Musk's manipulation of X's algorithm — the same algorithm that a declared 2028 presidential candidate has documented suppressing his campaign content in federal litigation currently pending in the Northern District of Florida.
St. Clair's account in the documentary focuses on Musk's reported obsession with fathering children. She describes messages he sent her that she compares to a "Gatling gun of sperm" and says he expressed a desire for a "legion" of children. The Washington Post reported the documentary references 14 known children while suggesting there may be more.
The AI angle
The filmmakers used a CGI avatar and AI voice syncing to simulate an interview with Musk using statements he has actually made in real interviews. Gibney said the choice was intentionally ironic given Musk's proposition that humans may be living in a simulation.
Musk declined to participate in the documentary and has called it a hit piece. Gibney pushed back, asking how Musk could know what was in the film without seeing it.
Gibney said he believes Musk is "extremely" dangerous to democracy.
The film opens Thursday, October 16.
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