Elon Musk attends the opening ceremony of the new Tesla Gigafactory for electric cars in Gruenheide, Germany, March 22, 2022. Patrick Pleul/Pool via REUTERS
Elon Musk attends the opening ceremony of the new Tesla Gigafactory for electric cars in Gruenheide, Germany, March 22, 2022. Patrick Pleul/Pool via REUTERS Reuters / POOL

KEY POINTS

  • Elon Musk has made headlines for sacking 7,500 employees of the social media platform
  • The billionaire's love life is also a topic that consistently makes it to the news
  • Musk has dated several women, including an author, a musician and several actresses

Following his recent Twitter takeover, billionaire Elon Musk has made headlines for sacking 7,500 employees of the social media platform along with its entire human rights team. The move has left people confused and frustrated as to where his plan for Twitter is heading and how his leadership will shape its future. The father of 10 and one of the world's most successful business magnates has been receiving negative remarks online for his bold and questionable moves.

As popular as he is as a mogul, his love life is also a topic that consistently makes it to the news. Over the years, Musk has dated several women – from an author to a musician and from a colleague to several actresses.

Here is a closer look at Musk's colorful dating history.

Justine Musk (1998-2008)

Author Justine Wilson was Musk's first wife. She is most popularly known for her works, including "Blood Angel," released in 2005, "Uninvited" in 2007 and "Lord of Bones" in 2008.

The Tesla co-founder and the Canadian author went to the same school and married in 2000. In 2002, their first son Nevada Alexander Musk was born. The child sadly passed away 10 weeks after his birth due to sudden infant death syndrome. Justine gave birth to twins Griffin and Xavier in 2004 through in vitro fertilization. Triplets Damian, Saxon and Kai were born two years later.

Justine announced in September 2008 that she and Musk had filed for divorce, with each party having equal rights to their children's custody. In a magazine article, the author and mother of five detailed how she was just a "starter wife" to Musk. She claimed that their marriage was problematic, even revealing that her ex-husband had always belittled her.

Talulah Riley (2008-2016)

Talulah Riley
Actress Talulah Riley arrives at the Universal Music Group's 2017 Grammy after-party presented by American Airlines and Citi at the Ace Hotel, Feb. 12, 2017, in Los Angeles. Noel Vasquez/WireImage

English actress Talulah Riley was the mogul's second wife. The two met in 2008 and married in Scotland in 2010. Riley has appeared in several movies, including "Pride and Prejudice," "Inception" and the "Boat that Rocked." She also starred in the HBO sci-fi series "Westworld."

Musk ended his relationship with Riley after four years of being together. He filed for divorce in March 2012. "We took some time apart for several months to see if absence makes the heart grow fonder, and unfortunately it did not. I still love her, but I'm not in love with her. And I can't really give her what she wants," he said in a statement.

In July 2013, the two got back together and remarried. They lived together again, along with Musk's five children from his previous wife. The mogul then filed for a second divorce in December 2014, but the filing was dropped. Riley filed for a second divorce in March 2016 after six months of residing apart. Their divorce was finalized in October 2016.

According to the actress, their relationship was a positive experience, and they have been on good terms after their split.

Amber Heard

Elon Musk and Amber Heard
The high-profile celebrity relationship between Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk and actress Amber Heard was the center of speculation yet again Friday after the couple released a joint statement in an apparent response to rumors surrounding their breakup. Amber Heard/Instagram

Actress Amber Heard and Elon Musk also dated back in 2017. Although no marriage happened between the two, it was reported that the two dated for several months after Musk started courting her in 2012.

Heard and Musk reportedly met on the set of "Machete Kills," where Heard played the lead role and Musk had a cameo. The two became friends, and reports surfaced when Heard and Depp's divorce was finalized in January 2016. Heard has been in the news in recent years for her legal battle with ex-husband and actor Johnny Depp.

In a comment on Heard's Instagram post, Musk revealed her breakup with Heard. "Btw, just to clear up some of the press storms this weekend, although Amber and I did break up, we are still friends, remain close and love one another."

Interestingly, New York Post reported that Heard's Twitter disappeared following Musk's acquisition of the social media platform.

Grimes (2018-2021)

Elon Musk and Grimes, seen here at the Met Gala on May 7, 2018, have revealed they have had a second child together
Elon Musk and Grimes, seen here at the Met Gala on May 7, 2018, have revealed they have had a second child together GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA via AFP / Theo Wargo

Canadian singer and record producer Claire Elise Boucher, more popularly known as Grimes, is also part of Musk's list of celebrity ex-girlfriends. She is known for incorporating science-fiction and feminist themes in her works, which predominantly fall under the dream pop, electronic, hip-hop and R&B genres.

According to Page Six, Musk started dating the singer in April 2018. One month after, the couple was spotted on the red carpet of the Met Gala. News about their breakup circulated in the fall of 2018 after the two unfollowed each other on Twitter.

In an interview with WSJ Magazine, Grimes claimed that she and Musk were still dating. In May 2020, the couple welcomed their son X Æ A-XII, discussing on Twitter how their baby's name should be pronounced. After being together for three years, the couple was reported to have gone separate ways in September 2021.

But in March 2022, the singer revealed that she would "probably refer to him (Musk) as my boyfriend, but we're very fluid." She went on to reveal information about their second child, a girl, they welcomed via surrogacy. Their daughter was named Sideræl, pronounced as "sigh-deer-ee-el."

Later on, the songstress revealed they had broken up again.

Shivon Zilis

Shivon Zilis is the director of operations and special projects at the business mogul's startup Neuralink. Their relationship was brought to light following the news that the two had discreetly welcomed twins in November 2021.

According to Business Insider, court documents stated that Musk and Zilis requested their newborns "have the father's last name and contain their mother's last name as part of their middle name." The names of the twins were not readily revealed. Shortly after, Musk seemingly confirmed the reports. He tweeted, "Doing my best to help the underpopulation crisis."

Natasha Bassett

natasha bassett
Actress Natasha Bassett arrives at The Universal Premiere of Hail, Caesar! at the Regency Village Theatre, in Westwood, California, Feb. 1, 2016. Getty Images/VALERIE MACON/AFP

Musk was recently rumored to be dating Australian actress, screenwriter and director Natasha Bassett. She is popular for her role as Britney Spears in the movie "Britney Ever After" in 2017, and recently in "Elvis."

Bassett and Musk started as friends, and their relationship turned romantic after Musk's split with Grimes. The 27-year-old actress once claimed she fell for the businessman's brain rather than his "bank balance."

The couple had been seen together in France attending a screening of "Elvis."

OK! Magazine reported the two had called it quits this summer, with Musk allegedly trying to rekindle the relationship before he went to Mykonos on a yacht trip with his friends.