ProfileWho is Maye Musk? Elon Musk’s mom, the supermodel, dietitian, nutritionist and writer who ‘never helped’ her kids

Maye Musk is the glamorous supermodel mother of Elon Musk – the richest man in the world – and has been a celebrity in her own right for decades

Musk has worked multiple jobs to support her children, but does not take credit for their success – ‘my kids had to be responsible for themselves,’ she says

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Elon Musk and Maye Musk at the 2022 Met Gala on May 2. Maye Musk isn’t just the mother of the Tesla CEO, though; she is a celebrity in her own right. Photo: Reuters

Published: 4:15am, 13 May 2022Updated: 5:39am, 13 May 2022

Maye Musk might have captured the spotlight on May 2 when she attended this year’s Met Gala with son Elon Musk in New York, but the 74-year-old supermodel has been a celebrity in her own right for decades.

Long before her son became the richest man in the world, Musk had already developed a prolific modelling career.

She has appeared on the covers of multiple high-profile magazines, including Vogue and Time, played a role in a Beyoncé music video, and been featured in numerous advertisements for anything from make-up brand Revlon to Special K cereal.

“I was famous until Elon became famous,” Musk told The New York Times in 2016.

Musk at the Berggruen Prize Gala in Beverly Hills, California on May 4, 2022. Photo: AFP

Success seems to run in the family and Elon Musk – behind PayPal, Tesla and SpaceX – is not the only one to make a mark. Musk’s other son, Kimbal Musk, is the founder of three food companies: The Kitchen Restaurant Group, a non-profit called Big Green and urban-farming company Square Roots. Her daughter, Tosca Musk, runs her own streaming service and is an award-winning producer and director of films and television shows.

“They followed their passions, and they all went in different directions,” Musk said in a 2020 interview. But that success didn’t come easily for Musk or her children.