Elon Musk is setting the record straight about his rumored affair with Nicole Shanahan, the wife of his billionaire friend Sergey Brin.
Computer scientist Sergey Brin, co-founder of Google and former president of the search engine’s parent company, Alphabet, founded Google at age 25 while in grad school at Stanford University with his friend Larry Page.
Nicole Shanahan exuded elegance in a black velvet mini dress with dramatic fringe sleeves, paired with statement gold platform heels and a bold feathered clutch at the Gold Gala at Vibiana on May 21, 2022, in Los Angeles, California (Credit: Faye’s Vision / Cover Images)
On July 24, 2022, it was reported by The Wall Street Journal that the Tesla CEO had an affair with Brin’s wife in December 2021.
The extramarital affair reportedly took place at the Art Basel event in Miami following Musk’s split from Claire Elise Boucher, known professionally as Grimes.
Musk Took to Twitter to State No Affair Took Place
The supposed affair led to the couple filing for divorce in January 2022, ending the two billionaires’ long-standing friendship. Musk has stated that the Wall Street Journal’s report is untrue, and he took to Twitter to set the record straight.
“This is total bs. Sergey and I are friends and were at a party together last night. I’ve only seen Nicole twice in three years, both times with many other people around. Nothing romantic.”
Earlier the same summer, Kimbal Musk’s brother was spotted on vacation in St. Tropez, France, with Natasha Basset.
Google co-founder Sergey Brin and actress Sarah Jessica Parker at the Diane Von Furstenberg Spring 2013 fashion show during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week at The Theatre at Lincoln Center on September 9, 2012, in New York City (Credit: ACE / INFphoto)
In another tweet, Musk accused the outlet of running “hit pieces” on him and Tesla.
“WSJ has run so many bs hit pieces on me and Tesla I’ve lost count! It’s embarrassing for them, frankly. They once wrote an article saying the FBI was about to arrest me, so I called the FBI to ask what was up, and they said WSJ article was total bs. Just more shortseller fud.”
The Wall Street Journal cited unidentified sources in the article, stating that Musk had an affair with Shanahan in December 2021. The article also stated that the affair ended the long-standing friendship between the two tech billionaires, and Brin told his advisors to sell his personal investments in Musk’s companies.
Nicole Shanahan looked effortlessly sleek in a black leather halter dress, complementing her soft curls and natural makeup (Credit: Marion Curtis / StarPix)
Musk tweeted later that the paper should run stories that “actually matter to their readers and have a solid factual basis.” The Wall Street Journal says it stands by its reporting and is confident in its sourcing.
The allegation about the affair was published amidst an ongoing court battle over Musk’s attempt to terminate his $44 billion purchase of Twitter.
The billionaire walked away from the deal over concerns about the number of bot accounts on Twitter. Twitter is taking him to court to force the transaction to take place.
Brin Files for Divorce After Three-Year Marriage
In January 2022, Brin filed for divorce, stating “irreconcilable differences.” Brin is currently a board member of Google’s parent company, Alphabet. According to Bloomberg, he is also the world’s eighth richest person and has a fortune of $94.6 billion.
Elon Musk was seen sporting a black suit and bandana, adding a casual edge to his look during a public appearance (Credit: Patrick Pleul / DPA / Cover Images)
Shanahan is a lawyer and research fellow at CodeX, an organization that uses technology to improve legal processes. She is also president of a foundation focusing on criminal justice reform, reproductive longevity for women, and climate science.
The couple, who met at a Wanderlust yoga retreat in 2015, were married for three years before Brin filed for divorce. They have a daughter, born in 2018. As part of the divorce proceedings, Brin requested joint custody of their daughter, who was diagnosed with autism in 2020.
Despite a prenuptial agreement, Nicole Shanahan reportedly received over $1 billion in her divorce settlement from Google founder Sergey Brin. She used part of her wealth to support RFK Jr.’s long-shot presidential campaign.
While Brin filed for divorce in January 2022, Shanahan has also been navigating the fallout from media speculation regarding her alleged affair with Musk.
Nicole Shanahan’s Side of the Story
Nicole Shanahan, whose mother is a Chinese immigrant, has also denied the affair with Elon Musk. Her attorney, Bryan Freeman, told TMZ, “Make no mistake, any suggestion that Nicole had an affair with Elon Musk is not only an outright lie but also defamatory.”
In her exclusive interview with People in July 2023, Nicole Shanahan opened up about the difficult year following the scandal involving her alleged affair with Elon Musk, a claim she vehemently denied. Shanahan explained that the false rumors, which emerged in a Wall Street Journal article in July 2022, were devastating to her reputation, leading to public shaming and online harassment.
Despite the turmoil, she focused on moving forward, celebrating her finalized divorce from Google co-founder Sergey Brin and finding a new love. Shanahan revealed that her only interaction with Musk was a meaningful conversation about autism treatments for her daughter and that their connection was part of a broader Silicon Valley community of thinkers. She criticized the media’s sexist portrayal of her and questioned why the scandal overshadowed more significant issues, such as the climate crisis. Ultimately, Shanahan chose to forgive those who fueled the scandal and focused on moving on with her life, reflecting on her journey with resilience.