Elon Musk has responded after podcast host Jennifer Welch called him "the biggest deadbeat dad on the globe" during a segment on IHIP News about family values and politics. Musk said: "No one has provided for their children more than I have" before launching a personal attack on Welch. The exchange is the latest public clash involving Welch's criticism of Musk's business, politics and family.
Newsweek reached out to Musk's representative and Welch via email on Sunday. Musk's personal life has become a recurring topic in public discussions alongside his business and political activities. Critics and supporters alike have frequently weighed in on his role as a father, making comments about his children particularly sensitive and highly visible.
During the IHIP News episode, Welch argued that Republicans should apply the same standards of family values to Musk that they apply to political opponents. In remarks that later circulated widely on social media, she called the former head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) "the biggest deadbeat dad on the globe" and questioned whether conservative figures were willing to criticize his personal life. Welch added that Musk "has been spewing in petri dishes all over the globe and has God knows how many kids, and the baby mamas have to tweet him to get his attention to get child support." A clip of the comments was shared by the X account Defiant L's, attracting millions of views and prompting a response from Musk.
Replying on X, Musk rejected the criticism: "No one has provided for their children more than I have," he said. The trillionaire—who is the CEO of Tesla and founder of SpaceX—then added a personal insult directed at Welch, writing that she was "as ugly on the inside as she is on the outside." The post quickly generated thousands of reactions and reignited debate over the difference between financially supporting children and maintaining active parental involvement. This is not the first time Welch has publicly targeted Musk.
In earlier podcast commentary, she criticized the 55-year-old over government contracts, tax issues and political influence. During one appearance she referred to him as an "immigrant welfare queen," and a "parasite." In an interview with Interview Magazine in 2023, Welch used expletives, describing Musk as a "horrible person" and saying she was glad Mark Zuckerberg was "taking him down". However, there is little public evidence of a sustained direct feud with Welch before Musk's latest response.
Musk is known to have fathered at least 14 children with four women. His kids include six with his first wife, Justine Wilson, three with musician Grimes—whose real name is Claire Elise Boucher, four with Neuralink executive Shivon Zilis, and at least one connected to influencer Ashley St. Clair, whose claims about their relationship and family arrangements generated public attention earlier this year.
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