Even the world's richest man isn't immune to financial headaches, and apparently, neither is his family. Elon Musk, whose net worth still hovers around $330 billion despite record losses recently, isn't the only one navigating the highs and lows of wealth. His sister, Tosca Musk, says having the last name "Musk" comes with a price—literally.
Tosca, a filmmaker and the founder of Passionflix, revealed that when scouting locations for a production, she encountered a steep markup simply because of her famous last name.
Don't Miss:
- Are you rich? Here’s what Americans think you need to be considered wealthy.
- These five entrepreneurs are worth $223 billion – they all believe in one platform that offers a 7-9% target yield with monthly dividends
"The location was going to cost $5,000 a day," Tosca told the Daily Mail in 2023. "But when they heard my name and assumed we were rich, they decided to charge us $25,000."
That's a 400% increase—simply for being related to Elon Musk.
The Double-Edged Sword of the Musk Name
Tosca admitted that the Musk name is both a "blessing and a curse." While it undoubtedly opens doors, it also comes with assumptions—many of which aren't true.
"Everyone assumes my eldest brother pays for everything, but he does not," she said, explaining that while she and Elon share a strong sibling bond, he's not bankrolling her ventures.
Trending: The secret weapon in billionaire investor portfolios that you almost certainly don't own yet. See which asset class has outpaced the S&P 500 (1995-2024) – and with near-zero correlation.
"It's a double-edged sword for me to say whether my brother has helped in any way. If I say no, then people will say he does not support me at all, and if I say yes, they'll think he paid for everything."
She founded Passionflix in 2017 to adapt romance novels into films, after struggling to get traditional networks or studios interested in the genre. Despite being part of one of the world's most well-known families, funding the company wasn't easy.
A Family That Wasn't Born Rich
The Musk siblings—Elon, Tosca, and Kimbal—didn't grow up in the kind of wealth many assume. Their mother, Maye Musk, worked as a model while raising them, often bringing them to her jobs because she couldn't afford childcare.
"As children, we were given a lot of freedom, but with it came responsibility," Tosca recalled. "You had to take care of yourself, learn how to cook and clean, and be supportive of the people who were doing everything they could to support you in life."
That mindset carried over into her own parenting. When faced with public scrutiny, she reassured her children by reminding them that public perception doesn't define them.
"I told my kids, ‘Do you know us and do you think that's who we are? If you know what the truth is about our family, don't believe what others say.'"
Ambitions Beyond the Musk Name
Despite the challenges of being a Musk, Tosca has no desire to change her last name.
"It's mostly a blessing, and I would never be tempted to change it," she said. "Even if it means getting upcharged."
As for her future goals? "I'd like our films to win some Emmys, an Oscar, maybe a BAFTA—all the awards—so that people will pay attention to romance."
With a name like Musk, people are definitely paying attention.
Read Next:
© 2025 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.
Trade confidently with insights and alerts from analyst ratings, free reports and breaking news that affects the stocks you care about.
