The billionaire entrepreneur has spoken in the past about how strained their relationship has been, hinting that their past was far from ideal.
“You have no idea about how bad. Almost every crime you can possibly think of, he has done,” Elon once said.
“Almost every evil thing you could possibly think of, he has done […] It’s so terrible, you can’t believe it.”
However, Musk’s distant relationship with his father became even worse when he learned something that left him completely outraged—Errol had fathered a child with his own stepdaughter, Jana Bezuidenhout.
This shocking revelation was detailed in Ashlee Vance’s biography, Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future. It confirmed that Musk and Justine had agreed early on that their children would never be a part of Errol’s life.
In 2017, Errol and Jana, who had reconnected, began a romantic relationship that resulted in the birth of their first child together. Later, they went on to have a second child.
Errol later explained that their relationship had developed while he was helping Jana navigate a breakup. However, his justification did little to ease the outrage that followed.
For Elon, the news was nothing short of appalling. The billionaire CEO was reportedly so angered by the revelation that he decided to completely sever ties with his father.
“Elon was getting concerned that Errol, who was 56, was becoming uncomfortably attentive to one of his stepdaughters, Jana, who was then 15,” Isaacson wrote.
“Elon became furious at his father for what he perceived to be inappropriate behaviour and he developed a deep sympathy for Errol’s stepchildren.”
“The whole family was outraged when we found out. This is the reason why Elon is so angry with Errol.”
“He is the only father she has ever known. And now he is the father of her child as well.”
Recalling how his biological daughter, Ali, reacted to the news, he admitted: ” I thought she [Ali] would be supportive and understanding. She said I was insane, mentally ill. She told the others and they went berserk.”
