Elon Musk's Ex Reveals She Rejected $40 Million NDA For Powerful Reason—And People Are Applauding

$40 million can buy a lot of things, but Ashley St. Clair says it couldn’t buy her silence when it came to the father of her child.

The father in question? Elon Musk, the former trillionaire behind Tesla, SpaceX, and X. He’s also the subject of Alex Gibney’s nearly four-hour documentary, Musk.

Directed by the Oscar-winning filmmaker, Musk examines its subject’s personal and professional life, from his sprawling family and corporate ventures to his influence in politics and social media.

St. Clair warned that Musk was creating division with potentially serious consequences:

“I do believe that he is causing deliberate division that may be catastrophic if it’s not regulated or tamed, or if we don’t do our part in putting it down.”

For nearly a decade, St. Clair built her profile as a right-wing commentator, Turning Point USA ambassador, and supporter of conservative causes and Donald Trump. In 2026, she publicly expressed remorse for her previous anti-trans activism, including its potential impact on Vivian Wilson, Musk’s estranged daughter and her child’s half-sister.

St. Clair didn’t excuse her past involvement:

“I got involved with Republican politics when I was 18, after I met Charlie Kirk, and there was an air of ignorance. But that ignorance does not excuse any role in that. I hope the risk that I’m taking now in speaking out and trying to fight back at least helps a little bit.”

St. Clair and Musk welcomed a son in 2024, but their relationship has since deteriorated publicly. She claims Musk’s team offered her a $40 million lump sum and $100,000 a month in exchange for signing a nondisclosure agreement—an offer she says disappeared when she refused.

St. Clair said the offer made her question the value of her voice:

“When you’re offered something like that [to stay quiet], it really causes a debate in your head about what your speech means and how valuable that is, and why do they want to offer me this amount of money to not speak?"

During a June appearance on Don Lemon’s video show, St. Clair claimed Musk instructed his aide, Jared Birchall, to “Wire Ashley $15 million for a home and reserve capital,” before Birchall indicated “there’s going to have to be some sort of NDA.”

Rejecting the alleged deal left St. Clair free to participate in Musk, which opens in U.S. theaters on October 16.

For St. Clair, it came down to her kids:

“I think, most importantly, I want to set the example for my kids that you should never take being materially comfortable over speaking the truth.”

Filmed over three years, Musk charts its subject’s evolution from software start-up tech bro to engineering entrepreneur selling rockets and electric cars to MAGA acolyte.

Watch St. Clair discuss Musk below:

St. Clair’s decision drew a decidedly mixed response online. Some applauded her for refusing the alleged payday, while others questioned the timing of her change of heart after years spent building a prominent platform in right-wing media.

Here’s what people are saying online:

u/EnoughYesterday2340/Reddit

u/Magurndy/Reddit

u/glassskyline/Reddit

u/yolo-tomassi/Reddit

u/Sugar_Phut/Reddit

u/Scared-Box8941/Reddit

u/AverellCZ/Reddit

u/anon-a-SqueekSqueek/Reddit

u/JellyPast1522/Reddit

u/NaziPunksFkOff/Reddit

u/xxyourbestbetxx/Reddit

u/grumpyelf4/Reddit

Since acquiring Twitter in 2022 and rebranding it as X, Musk has used the platform to amplify his political views, including recently celebrating a strong showing for Germany’s far-right Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) in Saxony-Anhalt.

St. Clair sounded the alarm over Musk’s activity on X:

“Whatever it is, what he’s doing with this platform on X cannot be ignored, because he is stoking flames that don’t exist in the real world.”

Gibney also pointed to Musk’s difficult childhood in South Africa when discussing what he believes drives the billionaire’s worldview.

He reflected on how Musk’s past may be shaping his present:

“To some extent he’s now playing out that trauma on the rest of us, if I were to psychoanalyze the situation.”

For St. Clair, though, it ultimately comes back to the example she wants to set for her children—and why she says $40 million wasn’t enough to buy her silence.