“Elon Musk Welcomes His 14th Child: Why the Backlash? Should Society Really Judge His Choices?”

Elon Musk has fathered his 14th child, according to People and Reuters, drawing more backlash from people online. But is the criticism over this area of the tech billionaire’s life justified?

Musk has fathered a fourth child with Neuralink executive Shivon Zilis, with whom he already shares twins and another child. Musk himself replied with a heart emoji to a post on X from Zilis, in which she shared that she and Musk have a fourth kid together, a son named Seldon Lycurgus. USA TODAY has reached to Musk’s representatives for confirmation, comment and further details.

“Discussed with Elon and, in light of beautiful Arcadia’s birthday, we felt it was better to also just share directly about our wonderful and incredible son Seldon Lycurgus,” Zilis wrote on Musk’s social media site X, formerly Twitter, on Friday. “Built like a juggernaut, with a solid heart of gold. Love him so much”

Musk’s many children, which he shares with multiple women, have turned heads from people online before. The announcement of him fathering yet another kid has, unsurprisingly, drawn more backlash.

“Elon Musk being rich does not make this any less problematic,” wrote one X user. “That is 14 children with broken homes. If you think his money solves the issue, then you are reducing fatherhood to paychecks and child support.”

Musk remains a polarizing figure in American politics, thanks to his proximity to President Donald Trump and leadership of the newly minted government agency DOGE. So, naturally, people are going to have strong reactions to his personal life too.

Here’s what experts have previously told USA TODAY to keep in mind before passing judgement on Musk or any parent, regardless of how you feel about them.

Why do people care so much about Elon Musk’s, other celebrities’ families?

Musk isn’t the only public figure whose nontraditional family life has sparked headlines. Nick Cannon famously had multiple babies with different women in a short period of time, which he said was “no accident.” Clint Eastwood is also thought to have had eight known children with six different women, his daughter told The Sunday Times in 2011.

After news came out of the birth of his 12th kid last year, Musk made a statement to Page Six denying he kept the child a secret. “As for ‘secretly fathered,’ that is also false,” he said. “All our friends and family know. Failure to issue a press release, which would be bizarre, does not mean ‘secret.’” Walter Isaacson wrote in his biography “Elon Musk” that the CEO is concerned with population decline and sees childbearing as the solution.

The public’s fixation on the families of people like Musk, Cannon and others is unsurprising to Donna Rockwell, a clinical psychologist and CEO and founder of “Already Famous.” Any time a famous person behaves in a way that deviates from the norm, like having many children from different households, “we as the public hang onto every detail” and treat it as gossip, she previously told USA TODAY.

“The public loves to express their opinions, because it makes them feel like part of the story,” she added. “When we see behavior outside the norm in the lives of celebrities, we shake our heads, pass judgments.”

Should people be concerned about Nick Cannon’s, Elon Musk’s kids?

Musk and Cannon both keep their personal lives and routines as parents relatively private. Still, this hasn’t stopped people from hurling criticism at both men, assuming a father of that many children couldn’t possibly be present in each of their lives.

It’s true being involved in your kids’ lives is crucial: Studies have shown a child’s emotional well-being is influenced by a secure relationship with their parents, as well as by the quality of that relationship. Barbara La Pointe, a relationship coach who primarily works with families dealing with divorce and separation, previously told USA TODAY that not being fully present in your children’s lives may “unconsciously create a legacy of generational trauma.”

While raising children in separate households can have additional challenges, experts encourage people not to pass judgement, especially on those they don’t even know. When previously asked about his emotional involvement as a father, Cannon has insisted “if I’m not physically in the same city with my kids, I’m talking to them before they go to school via FaceTime and stuff. And then when I am, I’m driving my kids to school, making sure I pick them up.”

As Rockwell reminds, the reality of celebrity culture is that we only catch a glimpse of celebrities’ personal lives. Without knowing the intimate details, we as outsiders will never truly know how worrisome – or how functional – Cannon’s, Musk’s or anybody else’s family actually is.

Contributing: Jenna Ryu and Kinsey Crowley, USA TODAY