A roller coaster romance. Elon Musk and Grimes, whose real name is Claire Boucher, were first linked in May 2018 and have since welcomed a son together.
The couple made their red carpet debut in May 2018, shortly after reports surfaced of their relationship. However, it has not always been smooth sailing for the businessman and the singer. They weathered split rumors and a very public feud with Azealia Banks in August 2018 before reuniting.
Fans speculated about their status for months, as the pair continued to be spotted together everywhere from the Kardashian-Jenner family Christmas party to China.
Musk and Grimes seemingly confirmed they were back on when she announced in January 2020 that she was pregnant. Though she did not caption her Instagram photo that showed off her baby bump, she referred to herself as “knocked up” in the comments section.
Nearly two months later, the Canada native revealed in a Rolling Stone profile that the Tesla CEO was the father of her child. She opened up in the interview about the impact of their relationship on her career. “No one believes me about this, but I just did not understand what I was getting into at all,” she explained. “Not that I’m mad about it. I just didn’t think it would be a thing. The s–t that’s happened with my boyfriend this year has overwritten so much of my life’s work.”
Grimes described her pregnancy as a major decision, made in part because of her trust in Musk. “For a girl, it’s sacrificing your body and your freedom. It’s a pretty crazy sacrifice and only half of the population has to do it. It was really profound to me when I decided I was going to do it, to actually go through the act of like, y’know, unprotected sex,” she admitted. “I’m just like, ‘I have sacrificed my power in this moment. I have, like, capitulated.’ And I have spent my whole life avoiding that situation. I have never capitulated to anything, so it was just a profound commitment.”
She added: “I do actually just really love my boyfriend. So I was like, ‘You know, sure.’”
In September 2021, the businessman told Page Six, “[Grimes and I] are semi-separated but still love each other, see each other frequently and are on great terms.”
The “Realiti” artist confirmed in a March 2022 Vanity Fair profile that the pair welcomed daughter Exa Dark Sideræl Musk via surrogate in December 2021. Several hours after the article’s publication, Grimes confirmed that the pair had called it quits.
“Me and E have broken up *again* since the writing of this article haha, but he’s my best friend and the love of my life, and my life and art are forever dedicated to The Mission now,” she tweeted at the time. “I think Devin wrote that part of the story rly well. Sique – peace out.”
Scroll to revisit the milestones from Grimes and Musk’s relationship:
Reports claimed the musician and the entrepreneur were dating in May 2018. The two debuted their romance at the Met Gala at the time. She later confirmed that their love connection was born when he messaged her after seeing a tweet she wrote about thought experiment Roko’s Basilisk. Matt Baron/Shutterstock
Musk and Grimes attended the Hyperloop Pod Competition with his five sons in July 2018. He shares twins and triplets with ex-wife Justine Wilson. ZUMAPRESS.com/MEGA
The twosome made headlines after Banks claimed that Grimes invited her to Musk’s home in L.A. to collaborate but spent an entire weekend comforting the engineer. His rep claimed to Business Insider at the time, “Elon doesn’t know Azealia Banks.” He later clarified that he saw her at his house. The rapper also posted alleged texts from Grimes, in which she claimed Musk had “a fake made up accent” and “a giant d--k.” Aurora Rose/Variety/Shutterstock; Swan Gallet/WWD/Shutterstock; CLEMENS BILAN/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
After their feud with Banks, fans noticed that Grimes and Musk unfollowed each other on social media, sparking split rumors. In October, they were seen together again in L.A., and he refollowed her. Lionel Hahn/ABACA/INSTARimages.com; Alex Gallardo/AP/Shutterstock
The pair attended the Game Awards and Musk gave her a standing ovation after her performance. MEGA
Kim Kardashian shared an Instagram photo of Grimes and Musk at her family’s annual Christmas party in December 2019. Courtesy Kim Kardashian/Instagram
The songstress announced her pregnancy in January 2020 with a NSFW Instagram post. She did not confirm Musk was the father until March. Jonathan Hordle/Shutterstock
The billionaire revealed that Grimes gave birth to son X Æ A-12 on May 4. “Mom & baby all good,” he tweeted. Courtesy Elon Musk/Twitter
Shortly after their son's arrival, the duo "experienced a lot of ups and downs in their relationship," according to a source. "[They] have been on and off," the insider told Us. "Through it all though, they have and will continue to maintain a close friendship." MEGA
"I love you but please turn off ur phone or give me a [call]," Grimes tweeted after Musk's "pronouns suck" post sparked controversy. "I cannot support hate. Please stop this. I know this isn't your heart." Courtesy of Grimes/Instagram
The Canada native came to Musk's defense after TikTok users accused him of being a "men's rights activist," replying, "He's not. Def he's been very immature at points on Twitter but for [example] the president of spaceX is a woman, as is his right hand [person] at Neuralink, etc." Shutterstock (2)
Musk revealed that he and the "Oblivion" singer had split after three years together. "[We] still love each other, see each other frequently and are on great terms," he noted in a statement. Charles Sykes/Invision/AP/Shutterstock
Days after Musk announced the couple's split, Grimes shared a new song titled "Love" via her Instagram account. She said at the time that she wrote the track in response to the increased attention she faced after her breakup from the world-famous entrepreneur. "It f—king sucks to be awake / Oh, Lord, I pray my soul to take," went one lyric. "Nobody understands because everything they hate is everything I love." Matt Baron/Shutterstock
After the "Venus Fly" singer was photographed reading the Communist Manifesto, she explained that she intentionally trolled paparazzi with her book choice but wasn't making a comment on her ex-boyfriend's enormous wealth. “I was really stressed when paparazzi wouldn’t stop following me this wk but then I realized it was [an] opportunity to troll,” she wrote via Instagram, adding that she and Musk were still living together. Diggzy/Jesal/Shutterstock
Grimes released another new song titled "Player of Games," which seemingly referenced Musk and the couple's split. "I'm in love with the greatest gamer / But he'll always love the game more than he loves me," went one lyric. Another verse hinted at the billionaire's interest in space travel with the line, "Sail away to the cold expanse of space / Even love couldn't keep you in your place." Courtesy of Grimes/Instagram
Grimes sparked pregnancy rumors with an Instagram upload showing a bare baby bump. Matt Baron/Shutterstock
The songwriter told Vanity Fair that she and Musk welcomed a baby girl named Exa Dark Siderael three months prior with the help of a surrogate. “I would probably refer to him as my boyfriend, but we’re very fluid," she said of their relationship status at the time. "We live in separate houses. We’re best friends. We see each other all the time. ... We just have our own thing going on, and I don’t expect other people to understand." After the feature was published, Grimes took to social media to confirm that the twosome had broken up again. Matt Baron/Shutterstock
The "Artangels" singer shared a rare glimpse into her life with daughter Exa Dark Sideræl Musk via Twitter, sharing a photo of her baby girl wearing a pink bow headband."My daughter is dancing to techno over this copy of ['The Birth of Tragedy'] by [Friedrich] [N]ietzsche - what a queen," Grimes captioned the post, referencing her little one's ostensible interest in the 19th century German philosopher. Courtesy of Grimes/Twitter
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