A billionaire’s father, a scandalous past
When Elon Musk called his father “a terrible human being” in a 2017 Rolling Stone profile, readers assumed it was just a son’s grudge against a difficult dad. But a new investigation by The New York Times paints a far darker picture of Errol Musk — one that could eclipse even the most outrageous chapters of his family’s saga.
The 79-year-old South African engineer, long estranged from Elon, is now at the center of deeply disturbing allegations of child sexual abuse spanning decades. The accusations involve five of his children and stepchildren, and if true, they don’t just cast a shadow on the Musk family tree — they threaten to turn it into a full-blown gothic horror story.
The first allegation
According to court documents and interviews cited in The New York Times investigation, the first accusation surfaced in 1993. Jana Bezuidenhout, Errol’s stepdaughter, then just four years old, reportedly told relatives he had touched her inappropriately at the family home.
For most families, that kind of claim would have triggered a rupture. In the Musk orbit, it seems, it was just the start of a long, winding tale of denial, estrangement, and bizarre family entanglements.
‼️🚨BREAKING: Elon Musk's Father Errol—Accused For Allegedly Molesting 5 Of His Own Children & Step-Kids Over Decades—Starting In 1993!
📍South Africa HORROR
He's Accused Of Groping His 4-Year-Old Stepdaughter & Sniffing Her Soiled Panties!!!
Multiple Police Probes—3 Full… pic.twitter.com/6XPoabae1R
— i Expose Racists & Pedos (@SeeRacists) September 23, 2025
The dirty laundry (literally)
A decade later, Jana again raised alarm bells when she allegedly found Errol sniffing her dirty underwear. Relatives said they confronted him. His defense? He was just cleaning her room.
If this were an episode of Succession, the line might’ve landed as black comedy. In real life, it reads more like a grotesque excuse from a patriarch who always seemed to play by his own rules.
all of these nazis are pedophiles.
today, from the NYT: “Errol Musk has been accused of sexually abusing five of his children and stepchildren since 1993”
— one of those kids he has a child with. pic.twitter.com/sUbQ13secb
— b. (@averabeille) September 23, 2025
More allegations surface
The Times report goes further, citing claims from family members that Errol abused two of his daughters and a stepson.
In 2022, matters escalated when a five-year-old boy — the son Errol fathered with Jana years later — allegedly told relatives, “Dad gropes his behind.”
According to texts reviewed by reporters, Jana’s mother, Heide-Mari Bezuidenhout, who is also Errol’s ex-wife, sent a family member a chilling message: “He screamed, ‘No, dad.’” Police were contacted, but ultimately dropped the case for lack of evidence.
Errol’s firm denial
In a statement to The New York Times, Errol Musk dismissed the accusations as “false and nonsense in the extreme.” He insisted there was “no evidence because this is nonsense,” and claimed the allegations were part of an effort to extract money from his son Elon.
It’s a familiar defense from the elder Musk, who has long framed himself as a misunderstood genius hounded by opportunists — even if some of those supposed opportunists share his last name.
The taboo relationship
What makes this saga especially unsettling is the tangled relationship between Errol and Jana. Years after those early allegations, the two became romantically involved when she was in her late 20s. They went on to have children together — two, according to Errol, though Jana insists they share only one.
This revelation stunned even hardened Musk-watchers. For a man already viewed as eccentric, bordering on grotesque, the stepfather-turned-partner storyline was a plot twist that few tabloids could have dreamed up.
Elon Musk’s bitter words
If you’re waiting for Elon Musk to swoop in with a defense, don’t hold your breath. The Tesla and SpaceX CEO has never minced words about his father.
In that infamous 2017 Rolling Stone interview, Elon declared, “Almost every evil thing you could possibly think of, he has done.”
While the world debated whether Elon was exaggerating for dramatic effect, the Times report suggests his words may have been more literal than anyone wanted to believe.
The silence of the billionaire
For now, Elon has remained publicly silent on the new wave of allegations. Given his penchant for tweeting about everything from crypto markets to cage fights with Mark Zuckerberg, his restraint is telling.
It could be strategic — after all, the world’s richest man has more than enough corporate controversies to handle without diving into his family’s darkest chapter. Or maybe, like many estranged children of difficult parents, he’s decided some family baggage is better left unopened.
Musk family dysfunction goes public
The Musk family has never been camera-shy. Elon himself thrives on attention, tossing off controversial posts on X (formerly Twitter) like a celebrity influencer. His mother, Maye Musk, has modeled well into her 70s, gracing magazine covers and Met Gala red carpets. His brother Kimbal runs restaurants and styles himself as the “chef of the future.”
And then there’s Errol, who has lurked in the background for decades — occasionally surfacing with outlandish claims (he once bragged about fathering a child at 72 because “the only thing we are on Earth for is to reproduce”).
This latest scandal pushes Errol out of the shadows, but not in a way any family wants.
A dynasty under scrutiny
What does this mean for the Musk dynasty? On one hand, Elon has always distanced himself from Errol, so the allegations may not stick to the billionaire the way other scandals have. On the other, public opinion rarely cares about nuance.
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If celebrity culture has taught us anything, it’s that family dysfunction sells. And in an age where Kardashians monetize their messes and every Hollywood divorce becomes a content cycle, the Musks may find their personal history fueling gossip as much as their tech ventures.
Closing thought
Errol Musk may insist the accusations are nonsense, but the damage to his already toxic reputation is undeniable. For Elon, it’s another reminder that no amount of rocket launches or electric cars can quite outrun the gravity of family scandal.
In Hollywood and in politics, reputations rise and fall on secrets revealed. And in the Musk family, the biggest secrets seem to come from the man who fathered the world’s richest — and perhaps most complicated — celebrity CEO.
Hollywood loves a sequel. Unfortunately for Elon Musk, this family drama may have many more episodes to come.
