Ashley St. Clair was a conservative author and political commentator with a solid but unremarkable public profile until February 2025, when she said publicly that she had given birth to a child fathered by Elon Musk. What followed has been a two-year legal dispute conducted almost entirely in public. This is a factual account of who she is and where the case stands.
Quick Bio / At a Glance
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Name | Ashley St. Clair |
| Date of Birth | July 31, 1998 |
| Born | Florida; raised in Colorado |
| Based In | Manhattan, New York |
| Occupation | Author, political commentator, social media personality |
| Known For | Conservative commentary; the 2025 paternity case involving Elon Musk |
| Book | Elephants Are Not Birds (2021) |
| Previous Roles | Operations at The Babylon Bee; brand ambassador for Turning Point USA |
| Child | A son born September 2024, named Romulus |
| Case Status | Paternity confirmed by testing; custody proceedings ongoing |
Career Before 2025
Commentary and Turning Point USA
St. Clair built her profile in conservative media through social platforms and television appearances, including segments on Fox News discussing declining birth rates. She served as a brand ambassador for Turning Point USA, the student-focused conservative organisation.
The Babylon Bee
She worked at the satirical site The Babylon Bee, and has publicly corrected outlets that describe her as a writer there. In her own words, she handled operations rather than writing the site’s satire — a distinction she has asked reporters to observe.
Elephants Are Not Birds
In July 2021 she published a children’s book, Elephants Are Not Birds. The story follows a vulture named Culture who tries to persuade an elephant called Kevin that he is a bird because he can sing. It was written and marketed as an argument against transgender acceptance, and it drew substantial criticism on publication.
The book is directly relevant to the later custody dispute, in which the subject of gender identity has been raised.
The Paternity Case
The February 2025 Announcement
In February 2025 St. Clair stated publicly that she had given birth to a child fathered by Elon Musk, describing a relationship that began in 2023. The child, a son, had been born in September 2024, and she said she had kept the birth private to protect him.
He was referred to in early filings by the initials R.S.C. She later confirmed his name as Romulus.
The Court Filing
On February 21, 2025, she filed a petition in New York seeking a determination of paternity along with custody and child support. A paternity test conducted by Labcorp was reported to show a 99.9999 per cent probability that Musk is the father.
A hearing in the matter took place in a Manhattan courtroom in May 2025.
Musk’s Position and the 2026 Developments
Musk had for a period declined to confirm paternity publicly. In January 2026 Forbes reported that he appeared to acknowledge the child publicly and was seeking custody, citing stated concerns about the child’s gender identity being influenced.
St. Clair has disputed his characterisations. The proceedings are ongoing, and no final custody determination has been reported.
What This Article Will Not Do
The child at the centre of this case is a toddler who has not consented to any of it. Detailed reporting of his circumstances, health or living arrangements is not included here, and claims made by either party about the other are described as claims rather than findings.
Why the Case Attracted So Much Attention
Three things converged. Musk is the most-followed person on the platform where much of the dispute has played out. St. Clair had built her career arguing for traditional family structures, which made the circumstances newsworthy to critics and supporters alike. And the litigation has been conducted in a jurisdiction where filings are public.
The result is a custody case with an unusually large audience and an unusually poor signal-to-noise ratio. The verifiable facts remain narrow: a child born in September 2024, a paternity test, a February 2025 petition, and proceedings that have not concluded.
Related reading: the Tyna Karageorge custody and defamation case and how we separate verified cases from online claims.
