Elon Musk's First Ex Wife Says He Kept Pushing Her To Become a Blonde — 'Go Platinum' And When Filed For Divorce, She Was Numb, 'But Relieved' - PayPal Holdings (NASDAQ:PYPL), Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA)

Long before Elon Musk was launching rockets and leading Tesla TSLA, he was a rising entrepreneur with a very specific vision for the life he wanted—and the woman he wanted beside him.

Justine Musk, his first wife and the mother of five of his sons, opened up about their marriage in a Marie Claire essay published in 2010, reflecting on events that unfolded in 2008.

Justine wasn't blonde when they met. The two crossed paths at Queen's University in Ontario. She was a fiction writer; he was intense, ambitious, and broke. At first, he supported her writing and brought her roses. But as his fortune grew, so did the expectations—starting with the one staring back at her in the mirror. Elon began encouraging her to go even blonder. "Go platinum," he'd say.

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

She tried. She added highlights. She smiled at parties. She stayed home with the kids. But the transformation wore on her. "I had turned into a trophy wife—and I sucked at it," she wrote.

By then, their life was on another level—nanny, chef, private jet. But the change wasn't just material. Elon was absorbed in building Tesla and SpaceX. When he was home, his mind rarely was. Justine longed for real conversation, empathy, and the support he once gave. Instead, she got eye rolls about her reading habits. He told her she read too much. The same man who used to encourage her writing now treated her book deadlines like a nuisance.

Everyday disagreements—about the kids' sleep schedule or household logistics—turned into critiques. Her flaws were magnified. Somewhere in all that success, she felt herself fading into the background.

Then came the car accident.

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 wasn't serious, but it flipped a switch. Sitting behind the wheel, shaken but unharmed, her first thought wasn't about safety. It was: "My husband is going to kill me." In that moment, she saw herself clearly—thin, very blonde, crawling out of a very expensive car with its front end crushed. A woman who'd become a symbol, not a partner.

That night, she sat Elon down. With tears in her eyes, she told him their life had to change. She wanted to feel like an equal again. He agreed to counseling, but it didn't last. After three sessions, he gave her an ultimatum: accept the marriage as it was, or it was over. The next morning, he filed for divorce.

Justine later described her reaction as "numb, but strangely relieved."

Six weeks after the filing, Elon texted her with an update—he was engaged. The new fiancée: Talulah Riley, a British actress in her early 20s, best known for her role in "Pride and Prejudice." Justine's internal reaction? "At least she wasn't blonde."

Heartbreak wasn't the only thing left behind. Justine had previously signed a postnuptial agreement, thinking it was a routine legal step. But in the divorce, she discovered it left her with no claim to Elon's growing fortune—aside from the family home, which wasn't fully hers unless they had another child.

It got more complicated when her legal team pointed to the timing: Elon's X.com had merged with Confinity, forming what would become PayPal PYPL. That deal sent the value of his shares soaring. According to her lawyer, those assets weren't fully disclosed at the time of the postnup, potentially invalidating it under "marital fiduciary duty." But because the agreement was signed during mediation, it was shielded by confidentiality. A judge ultimately ruled in Elon's favor.

Still, Justine didn't let that define her.

After the split, she dyed her hair brown. She cut it short. She reconnected with someone from her past. She stepped into new spaces—ones filled with women who weren't there to serve someone else's spotlight. They were building their own.

The platinum era was done. So was being told who she should be.

Read Next: