Justine Musk, Elon Musk’s first wife, says in Alex Gibney’s documentary “Musk” that he took their daughter Vivian off his health insurance. It is Justine’s claim, as reported by Variety, and the reports we read do not include a response from Elon Musk to this specific claim.
The film premiered at the Venice Film Festival on September 8, and the claim first appeared in coverage that week. It is back in the news because the film opened in New York and Los Angeles theaters on October 9, according to TheWrap.
What Justine says in the film
Variety writes that Elon told Justine to pass on a message to Vivian, “I’ll always love her”, and that Justine claims he took Vivian off his health insurance the next day. The Daily Beast reported on September 9 that, according to Justine, the coverage ended after Vivian came out as trans. TMZ reported on October 9 that she says it happened the day after.
Variety also writes that Justine says Elon never tried to repair things.
What is not known
The outlets differ on timing. Variety ties the alleged change to the day after Elon’s message, while TMZ ties it to the day after Vivian came out. The reports we read give no date for the change and no details of the insurance. We have not seen a statement from Vivian. Musk did not take part in the film, and Variety reports he called it a hit piece before seeing it.
Our take: this is one person’s account in a film its subject refused to join, and none of the reports we read show documents to back it up. Treat it as a claim, not a finding. The timing detail is worth watching, because the outlets do not agree on it. For more on how the film is landing, see Gibney’s Musk Documentary Opens: What Critics Are Saying.
