Grimes reveals she was 'going bankrupt' in her custody battle with Elon Musk
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Grimes, whose real name is Claire Elise Boucher, recently revealed that she was "going bankrupt" during her custody dispute with Elon Musk, the billionaire CEO of Tesla.
The couple, who share three children—X Æ A-Xii, Exa Dark Sideræl, and Techno Mechanicus—became embroiled in a legal battle in 2023. Grimes and Musk filed separate lawsuits in California and Texas, respectively, and the case was sealed from the public in December of that year, leaving the outcome unclear.
Grimes provides update on her custody dispute with Elon Musk
According to Business Insider, Grimes has largely remained silent about the specifics of the custody dispute, but on Wednesday, she shared some personal details about the toll it took on her.
When asked on social media platform X (formerly Twitter) why she hadn’t released many projects lately, Grimes explained, "The threat of losing ur kids while going bankrupt fighting for them is not very conducive to creative thoughts." She added, “I just slept and cried every minute I wasn’t explicitly fighting for my kids during that year.”
Because the threat of losing ur kids while going bankrupt fighting for them is not very conducive to creative thoughts. I just slept and cried every minute I wasn't explicitly fighting for my kids during that year
— 𝖦𝗋𝗂𝗆𝖾𝗌 ⏳ (@Grimezsz) November 20, 2024
In a separate post, Grimes described how much of her artistic output was put on hold for four years due to having children and spending a year in court, seemingly referencing her custody case. “A lot of my art output was shut down for 4 years because I was having kids and spent one year in court,” she wrote.
She also expressed frustration about the unequal resources between her and Musk, who is the world’s wealthiest person with a net worth of $315 billion.
“Spent a year locked in battle in a state with terrible mothers' rights having my Instagram posts and modeling used as reasons I shouldn't have my kids and fighting and detaching from the love of my life as he becomes unrecognizable to me, with a fraction of his resources (or iq/strategy experience), all the while I didn't see one of my babies for 5 months,” Grimes shared.
Grimes reveals emotional toll of her custody battle with Elon Musk
Grimes appeared to be referencing the couple’s oldest child, X, who has frequently appeared in the public eye with Musk. In September 2023, on the same day, Musk filed his custody suit, Grimes posted and quickly deleted a message on X calling for Musk to “let me see my son or plz respond to my lawyer.”
The custody battle also became contentious over the issue of jurisdiction, with Grimes arguing the case should be heard in California, where she claimed the children lived, while Musk’s team pushed for Texas, where Musk resides.
Family law experts have pointed out that both states use the same standards for determining custody but differ on child support—Texas caps child support payments at $2,760 for three children, while California does not have a cap. This discrepancy could have significant financial implications in the case.
Grimes and Musk have not publicly commented on whether the case is ongoing, but they were seen on somewhat amicable terms in April when they exchanged brief messages on X.
However, in July, Grimes' mother accused Musk of "withholding" the children from the rest of the family. In August, both Grimes and Musk appeared in a closed court hearing in Austin, but the details of that session remain undisclosed.
