Never Take Comfort Over Truth: Ashley St. Clair Says She Rejected Alleged $40M Deal To Stay Silent About Elon Musk

Ashley St. Clair says she rejected an alleged $40 million (£29.5 million) deal to stay silent about Elon Musk, telling the Venice Film Festival that she chose speaking the truth over financial comfort. Musk has denied that she was ever offered the money.

St. Clair made the claim on 8 September while discussing Alex Gibney's nearly four-hour documentary, Musk, which premiered at Venice that day. She said the alleged offer made her question why someone would pay $40 million (£29.5 million) for her silence and what that meant about the value of her speech.

$40M To Stay Silent

'I was offered the opportunity not to speak for $40 million (£29.5 million),' St. Clair said during the Venice press conference. She said being offered such a large sum caused her to consider what her speech meant, how valuable it was and why someone would want to pay her not to speak.

St. Clair said the alleged offer was conveyed by Jared Birchall, Musk's longtime business manager, whom she said was acting on Musk's behalf.

She had previously described the proposed arrangement as a non-disclosure agreement, or NDA, that she said would restrict what she could say about Musk, his employees and people affiliated with him.

St. Clair had previously described the alleged deal as $15 million (£11.07 million) upfront plus $100,000 (£73,800) a month for 20 years, which would total about $39 million (£28.78 million). She later characterised the overall arrangement as worth about $40 million (£29.5 million).

Why Ashley St. Clair Says She Rejected the Money

St. Clair said the decision ultimately came down to the example she wanted to set for her children.

'Most importantly, I want to set the example for my kids that you should never take being materially comfortable over speaking the truth,' she said.

She said the offer forced her to consider whether financial security was worth giving up her ability to speak openly. St. Clair ultimately chose to continue speaking publicly and participate in Gibney's documentary rather than accept the alleged arrangement.

Her decision meant she could discuss her experiences with Musk in Musk, where she appears alongside other people who have known or covered the billionaire.

St. Clair's Claims About Elon Musk

St. Clair also criticised Musk's use of X while discussing the documentary and said she believed he was contributing to deliberate division through the platform.

She also recounted a message she said Musk sent about needing 'a legion of children before the Civil War.' That remark was presented as part of St. Clair's account of her interactions with Musk.

Elon Musk Denies the Alleged $40M Offer

Musk has disputed St. Clair's account. On 9 September, he responded to coverage of her Venice comments by saying she was never offered the $40 million (£29.5 million) and accusing her of having a history of making false claims.

The alleged offer therefore remains disputed. St. Clair says she was offered about $40 million (£29.5 million) in exchange for not speaking, while Musk says the offer was never made.

St. Clair's comments came as Musk, Gibney's documentary about the billionaire premiered at the Venice Film Festival on 8 September. The film is scheduled for theatrical release in October.