Elon Musk, the 52-year-old enigmatic tech billionaire and entrepreneur behind SpaceX, Tesla, and Neuralink, is well-known not only for his groundbreaking inventions but also for his troubled romantic relationships. Few people know that he went through several divorces before finding love, including the surprising tale of his relationship and breakup with British actress Talulah Riley. Prior to this drama surrounding two divorces with the Pride & Prejudice actress, you may have read in the headlines about his highly publicized split from actress Amber Heard.
Based on estimates from the Bloomberg Billionaires Index and Forbes, he has the highest net worth in the world. Surprisingly enough, these were mainly sourced from his ownership of SpaceX and Tesla. However, his personal life is more amusing due to the drama surrounding his double divorce with Riley, which includes heartbreak, reconciliation, and a reported $20 million settlement that reads like a ‘Hollywood blockbuster’.
When Elon Musk Dated the Aquaman Star Amber Heard
Elon Musk and Amber Heard have been acquaintances for more than ten years. Although the SpaceX founder first showed interest in the Aquaman actress in 2012, they did not start dating until several years later. A mutual connection facilitated Musk’s introduction to Heard at the time of their 2013 film Machete Kills, a source told PEOPLE in August 2016.
Heard dated the Tesla CEO for a year after divorcing Johnny Depp, ending in early 2018. At the time, the actress and Musk were going through public breakups (from different relationships), so their budding romance attracted attention.
As per PEOPLE, while Talulah Riley and the tech mogul filed for divorce in early 2015, Heard and Depp concluded their divorce in January. Before ending their relationship in August 2017, Musk and Heard dated intermittently for several months before finalizing their split in 2018.
Later, in 2010, Musk married Riley; however, the two later divorced and remarried. Their second divorce was finalized in 2016.
What Happened Between Elon Musk and Talulah Riley?
Elon Musk met actress Talulah Riley shortly after filing for divorce from Canadian author Justine Wilson. Business Insider claims that the couple first met in a bar in London. At the time, Riley subsequently recalled that she had no idea who he was:
“I remember thinking that this guy probably didn’t get to talk to young actresses a lot and that he seemed quite nervous. I decided to be really nice to him and give him a nice evening. Little did I know that he’d spoken to a lot of pretty girls in his life.”
Musk proposed to Riley just six weeks after he filed for Wilson’s divorce. Riley relocated to Los Angeles, and in 2010, they married in Scotland at Dornoch Cathedral. Musk divorced after just two years. He tweeted (via PEOPLE):
“It was an amazing four years. I will love you forever. You will make someone very happy one day.”
However, Musk and Riley’s romance did not end there; they tied the knot again in July of 2013. Then, surprisingly, Riley started the divorce process in March 2016 and completed it in November. She acknowledged to The Independent in 2022 that she thought Musk’s double marriage and divorce were “strange”. She added to the outlet, saying:
“I suppose the reason to get remarried was just because it felt silly to be together unmarried after having been married. You know, it’s like a habit. We were saying, ‘This is my husband.’ ‘This is my wife.’ ‘Oh, wait, no, we’re not that anymore. We better be that again’.”
Well, Riley allegedly took $4.2 million when their first marriage ended in 2012. After getting back together and getting married again the following year, Musk decided to get a divorce in 2015. By then, he had offered her $16 million in exchange for their divorce, according to TMZ. The result was an astounding $20 million divorce settlement that the business magnate was made to pay.
Musk’s public divorce with Riley twice might have had an impact, but his steadfast pursuit of love and success afterward supports the idea that even the most intelligent people can suffer from heartbreak.
