Who Is Maye Musk's Husband? Inside Her Complicated Marriage To Errol Musk

So, you’ve heard of Elon Musk—the guy who wants to colonize Mars and sell you a Cybertruck shaped like a doorstop. But let’s talk about the real star of the Musk family: his mom, Maye Musk. She’s a supermodel, a dietitian, and an all-around badass who’s been slaying since the 1960s. Naturally, people wonder: who was the man who once called himself her husband? Spoiler alert: it’s a rollercoaster, and there’s no safety bar.

Let’s get straight to it. Maye Musk’s husband—and the father of Elon, Kimbal, and Tosca—is Errol Musk. Yes, his name is Errol. Say it with me: “Err-ol.” It sounds like the noise you make when you spill coffee on your laptop. But Errol is a lot more than a funny name; he’s a South African engineer, pilot, and the source of a very complicated marriage.

The story begins in the 1970s, when Maye was a fresh-faced dietitian and model. She met Errol, a charismatic charmer with a big personality and a bigger ego. He was her first love—and her first heartbreak. They married in 1970, and it was not a fairy tale. Picture a marriage that started with passion but slowly turned into a lesson in endurance.

“He was a man of extremes”

Maye has been refreshingly honest about their relationship. She’s called Errol “very controlling” and said he made her feel worthless. For a woman who now struts down runways in her 70s, that’s a gut punch. He didn’t hit her, she says, but the emotional abuse was constant. He’d belittle her, mock her ambitions, and treat her like a trophy he’d set on a shelf and forgot to polish.

But here’s the twist: Errol was also a genius in his own way. He built a hydra-pneumatic crane (whatever that is), drove a Rolls-Royce, and flew a plane. He was the sort of man who could fix a helicopter and then break your spirit. Maye once said he was “great in the beginning,” but that the “magic went away.” By the time Elon was a teenager, the marriage was a frozen wasteland of resentment.

Elon Musk's mother Maye opens up about abusive marriage to ex-husband Errol

The Big Breakup (and the Bigger Revenge)

So, how did Maye escape? In 1979, after nine years of marriage, she filed for divorce. She walked out with three kids, no money, and a burning desire to never feel small again. Errol, in a move that screams “petty,” fought for custody of the kids—not because he wanted them, but to win. That’s right: he used his own children as chess pieces. Classy, Errol. Real classy.

But Maye, being the queen she is, fought back. She worked multiple jobs, slept on a mattress on the floor, and raised her brilliant, weird kids to become billionaires and filmmakers. Errol, meanwhile, faded into the background. For a while, he was just the ex-husband who didn’t pay child support.

Elon Musk's mother Maye opens up about abusive marriage to ex-husband Errol

Then, in 2017, the media discovered something juicy. Errol, at age 72, had a baby with his stepdaughter. Yes, you read that right. His stepdaughter, Jana Bezuidenhout, who is 25 years younger than him. They had a daughter together, and Errol was shockingly unapologetic. He even told the press: “We are the only people on Earth who care.” Yeah, that’s one way to spin it, buddy.

Maye’s Take on Errol’s Post-Divorce Circus

You might think Maye would be furious or bitter. Nope. When asked about Errol’s new family, she gave a classic Maye response: “I don’t care.” She followed it up with a shrug so epic it could power a small city. In her memoir, she wrote, “If I had stayed with him, I’d be miserable, and Elon would be a different person.” She’s grateful for the lessons, not the man.

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Errol, for his part, still claims they were “soulmates” and that she’s the only woman he ever loved. He’s said in interviews that he regrets the divorce and that “Maye was perfect.” Which is ironic, considering he treated her like a doormat. But hey, everyone’s a revisionist historian, right? Especially when the cameras are rolling.

So, Who Is Errol Musk Now?

Today, Errol is a walking, talking social media scandal. He’s made headlines for saying Elon should “stay away from politics,” for praising apartheid-era South Africa (yikes), and for his barely-filtered rants about feminism. He’s like the uncle you love to hate at Thanksgiving, except with a private jet. And yet, he’s still Elon’s dad, which means he gets a weird slice of fame whether we like it or not.

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But here’s the real tea: Maye Musk doesn’t let Errol define her. She’s built a life so full of joy that his name is just a footnote. She says they get along now, but they’re not close. She’ll send him a Christmas card, but she’s not hosting his birthday party. It’s the ultimate flex: forgiveness without engagement.

The Uplifting Conclusion You Deserve

If there’s a moral to this story, it’s this: You can survive a brutal marriage and still thrive like a sunflower through concrete. Maye didn’t just leave Errol; she left the idea that she needed him. She turned pain into purpose, heartbreak into haute couture, and a messy divorce into the foundation of a dynasty. She’s now 75 years old, posing for CoverGirl and eating chocolate without shame.

And as for Errol? He’s out there, somewhere, probably tweeting something controversial or changing a diaper at 80. But Maye? She’s on a magazine cover, winning. She once said, “I don’t have time for negativity. I have a career, a family, and a life I love.” So the next time you feel stuck in a complicated relationship, just channel your inner Maye: walk away, work hard, and leave the Errols of the world in your dust. And maybe, just maybe, eat an extra chocolate bar—because you’ve earned it.