Elon Musk’s mom faces backlash after saying people should have children even if they can’t afford them

Elon Musk’s mother, Maye Musk, is facing criticism after suggesting that people should have children regardless of whether or not they can afford them.

On Sunday (December 15), the billionaire’s mother appeared on Fox and Friends with Rachel Campos-Duffy, where she was asked about her response on X (formerly Twitter) last month to a comedian who claimed that it was too expensive to have children. In her post, Musk argued that if certain expenses such as going out to eat were eliminated it was possible to still start a family.

“Having children is the greatest gift in your life. When Elon was born, we were in a small two-bedroom apartment overlooking a garage. When Kimbal was born, we moved to a two-bedroom apartment with a view. When Tosca was born, we moved to a two-bedroom house. All in the same area,” her response began.

“We didn’t go out for dinner nor to the movies. As my former-husband was promoted at the engineering firm, we upgraded our lifestyle. He then opened his own engineering firm, and we could move to a beautiful home in a better area.”

She concluded by claiming that having children never forced her to “sacrifice anything” and that they “add value to your life.”

On Fox and Friends, Musk re-iterated her argument, explaining that with each additional child, her living situation had improved. “You don’t have to go to the movies, you don’t have to go out for dinner, just spend time with the most wonderful gifts you can ever have, is the children,” she said.

However, many people turned to X to criticize Musk’s reasoning.

“She thinks going to the movies and dinner is what makes people struggle?” one commenter questioned.

“Does she realize that it costs thousands of dollars just to give birth in a hospital? And god forbid the child has special needs or is born premature and needs neonatal care,” another commenter pointed out.

“The cost of having a baby in a hospital with ZERO complications for the mother OR child is $13-$18K. If the baby needs a NICU stay for a week... that could add up to $140K. This is just to have one... not feed it, clothe it, educate & entertain it. It’s a valid concern for many,” a third commenter wrote.

This isn’t the first time the Tesla CEO’s mother has faced scrutiny for her comments on public television. Last month, Musk appeared on Fox Business when she claimed it was “degrading” to call her son “wealthy” and preferred that he would be called the “genius of the world.”

“I don’t like the word ‘wealthy’ or ‘billionaire’ or things like that because I think it’s degrading,” she exclaimed to Fox Business anchor Stuart Varney.

“I think he’s the genius of the world, and people are loving him for that! … They love him because of what he does, and they respect him. And I’m very proud of him.”