Elon Musk's Second Ex-Wife Says His Dinner Party Silence Made People Think He Was a Genius —But He Just Found The Conversation 'Really Boring'

Elon Musk has been called a genius so many times that it's practically part of his name at this point. But according to his second ex-wife—yes, the woman he married and divorced twice—some of that mystique might just be a case of people misreading social cues.

In a resurfaced BBC clip from "The Elon Musk Show," shared on TikTok, Musk's second ex-wife, Talulah Riley, recalled a time when they were catapulted into high-profile social circles. The couple found themselves at elite events, rubbing shoulders with world leaders, including Bill Clinton. The assumption? Musk was always the smartest guy in the room. The reality? He was often just really bored.

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The ‘Genius' Assumption

Riley described how people at dinner parties would be in awe of Musk's quiet, distant demeanor. "I've had people say to me, ‘Oh, I met Elon and I could tell he was a genius because he seemed incredibly distracted and was clearly thinking great things,'" she recounted.

Knowing her husband so well, she would hear this and think, "Really?! No, he probably just didn't like you—or he was just bored."

The Awkward Truth About Musk's Social Battery

One of the most viral moments from the clip is Musk's own blunt take on his interactions with strangers. Riley recalled a dinner where Musk spelled it out:

"The great thing about being famous is that when you sit next to somebody you don't know at a dinner party, they think the bad conversation is their fault."

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In other words, if the conversation fell flat, people assumed they weren't interesting enough to hold Musk's attention, rather than considering that he simply didn't want to engage.

And apparently, he wasn't afraid to be blunt about it in private. Riley shared that after some of these interactions, she would text Musk to tell him about the person she'd just met. His typical response: "Oh yeah, really boring."

Musk's Relatable Dislike for Small Talk

For a man who regularly talks about colonizing Mars and integrating AI with human brains, mundane dinner party chatter might just not cut it. And according to his ex-wife, people mistook his silence for deep contemplation rather than just a lack of interest in the topic.

See Also: Elon Musk Told The U.N. If They Could Show A Plan For Ending World Hunger He'd Donate $6 Billion – ‘I Will Sell Tesla Stock Right Now And Do It'

Musk's reputation as a visionary entrepreneur is undeniable. But this paints a picture of someone who, despite his larger-than-life public image, still experiences the same social fatigue as the rest of us.

Is he an intellectual powerhouse lost in thought, or just a guy who hates forced conversations? According to Riley, the answer might be a little of both.

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