Elon Musk’s first wife, Justine Musk, has opened up about their marriage in a new documentary, claiming the billionaire frequently made her feel “insignificant” during their relationship.
Justine discusses her experience in “Musk,” the four-hour documentary directed by Alex Gibney that premiered Tuesday at the Venice Film Festival. According to People, she said the relationship ultimately introduced her to the concept of “gaslighting.”
“He was constantly remarking on the ways he found me lacking,” the 54-year-old author alleged in the film.
Justine’s remarks provide a candid look inside her former marriage to the Tesla and SpaceX CEO, with the author alleging that she was frequently criticized and made to feel diminished throughout their relationship.
She said Musk sometimes spoke to her in a way that felt more like a boss addressing an employee than a husband talking to his wife.
Recalling one alleged example, Justine claimed that while the pair were dancing at their January 2000 wedding, Musk told her he was the “alpha in [the] relationship.”
She previously recounted the moment in a 2010 essay for Marie Claire, where she wrote that she initially brushed off the remark, much as she later did other aspects of their relationship. In the essay, Justine alleged that Musk’s opinions increasingly took precedence over her own and that he regularly pointed out ways he believed she fell short.
The former couple went on to have six children before their marriage ended in 2008. Their first child, Nevada, died at 10 weeks old in 2002. They later welcomed twins Griffin and Vivian, now 22, followed by triplets Kai, Saxon and Damian, now 20.
Justine (pictured above in November 2023) recalled Musk referring to himself as the “alpha in [the] relationship” during their 2000 wedding.
Elsewhere in the documentary, Justine challenged Elon’s previous account of their son Nevada’s death. She disputed his social media claim that he held their infant son as he died, maintaining that she was the one who held Nevada during his final moments.
Justine also addressed Elon’s strained relationship with their transgender daughter, Vivian, whom the billionaire controversially claimed in 2024 had been “killed by the woke mind virus.”
According to Justine, Elon “never tried to repair things” with Vivian because doing so is “not in his nature.” However, she alleged that he once asked her to pass along a message to their daughter: “I’ll always love her.”
Justine further claimed that Elon later cut off Vivian’s health insurance amid their ongoing estrangement.
Justine has largely remained private about her relationship with Elon (pictured above in August 2022) since their marriage came to an end.
In another moment from the documentary, she opened up about what she described as the Tesla CEO’s insecurities surrounding his appearance. According to Justine, Elon once told her, “I can’t look cool or hip, because I need to look like an engineer.”
A representative for Elon did not immediately respond to Page Six’s request for comment.
Since their split, Justine has rarely spoken publicly about their relationship, while the SpaceX founder went on to marry and divorce actress Talulah Riley twice. He also welcomed additional children with musician Grimes, Neuralink executive Shivon Zilis and author Ashley St. Clair.
According to The Times, Justine further alleged in the documentary that Elon uses the term “breeders” when referring to the mothers of his children.
St. Clair, 28, also participated in the film and said while promoting the documentary that she agreed to take part after previously rejecting a $40 million nondisclosure agreement.
Elon (pictured above in November 2025) has previously dismissed the documentary as a “hit piece.”
The political commentator also shared what she claimed was a text message from Elon in which he allegedly expressed a desire to welcome a “legion of children” before a potential “civil war.”
Musk notably declined to participate in the documentary and publicly criticized the project in 2023, calling it a “hit piece” on social media.
A teaser for “Musk,” released Monday ahead of the film’s Oct. 16 debut, promises viewers an “unflinching look” at one of the world’s most powerful and controversial figures.
