Jeffrey Epstein engineered an intimate relationship between a woman in his network and Kimbal Musk, who is the brother of Elon Musk and on the board of directors at Tesla, according to emails from the Department of Justice’s recent release of documents involving the convicted sex offender. The younger Musk and the woman were involved for around six months between 2012 and 2013, with Kimbal Musk describing them as “dating”.
In the lead up to Musk and the woman’s first meeting, Epstein and his longtime associate Boris Nikolic labored to set them up and bring her to a birthday party Musk was throwing – with Nikolic telling Epstein “please prepare [the woman] —;)”.
“Jeffrey and Boris, many thanks for connecting me with [the woman],” Musk later emailed Epstein and Nikolic in October 2012 after a lunch at Epstein’s Manhattan apartment. “I believe you both played a role. :)”
Throughout Musk and the woman’s time together, she forwarded Epstein several of the personal messages Musk sent to her and asked Epstein for guidance on the relationship. There is nothing in the emails to suggest that Musk was aware of her backchannel correspondence with Epstein.
Through her lawyer, the woman has said in recent years that she was trapped, coerced and abused by Epstein while in his circle. The woman has not publicly told her story nor spoken about her relationship with Musk, and the Guardian has chosen not to publish her name. Her full name appears in the documents due to a faulty redaction, while other mentions in the emails match her first name and an itinerary of her travels with Musk that Epstein retained. Attempts to reach her and her lawyer did not receive any reply. A request for comment sent to Nikolic via his venture capital firm did not receive a reply. Nikolic, who was named as a backup executor of Epstein’s estate, has not been accused of any wrongdoing in relation to Epstein and previously said he did not consent to being named as an executor.
Around an hour after the Guardian sent Kimbal Musk a request for comment Monday for this article, he posted a statement on X about his relationship with Epstein and the woman. A spokesperson from his family office directed the Guardian to his post, but Musk did not respond to a detailed set of questions on his ties to Epstein. Musk has not been accused of any wrongdoing in relation to Epstein.
“This post is related to the Epstein Files and why my name is in them. In 2012 I started dating a woman who was 30 years old. I met her through a friend. Epstein did not introduce us. My only meeting with that demon was in his New York office during the day. I never met with him again and I never went to his island,” Musk posted.
“The reason he has so many emails from me is because he was subscribed to a newsletter I sent out to thousands of people every few weeks. My heart goes out to the many victims of Jeffrey Epstein, as it does for all who have suffered any kind of sexual abuse or harassment,” he wrote.
The emails, part of the justice department’s release last month of 3m documents related to Epstein, depict a far friendlier and more intricate relationship between Kimbal Musk and Epstein than previously known to the public, one which goes beyond a periodic newsletter. They coincide with a period when Epstein appeared to be attempting to court both Kimbal and his older brother Elon, now the world’s richest man, through invitations to his island and the use of personal connections.
In 2020, Business Insider reported a story which cited two anonymous sources who claimed Epstein set up Kimbal Musk with a woman. The story also reported Epstein had previously dated the woman and that she lived in an apartment owned by Epstein’s brother. The relationship between Musk and the woman appeared to be genuine, Business Insider reported, but the sources claimed Epstein saw it as a means of gaining connection to the Musk family.
The emails cover a period of time following Kimbal Musk’s divorce from his first wife, which he references in a 2013 email to Nikolic saying that he is “now divorced! Free to live my life.”
Until this week, Kimbal Musk had not spoken publicly about his ties with Epstein. The release of Elon Musk’s own communications with Epstein has conflicted with the tech mogul’s previous attempts to distance himself from Epstein as someone he avoided and deemed “obviously a creep”. Kimbal Musk exchanged numerous emails with Epstein and Nikolic in late 2012 and early 2013, inviting the financier to his birthday party and a SpaceX launch. Kimbal even joked about the trio coordinating Halloween costumes.
The younger Musk, although less successful and well-known than his Tesla and SpaceX CEO brother, holds several powerful positions. He has repeatedly profited off sales of his 1.4m shares of Tesla, including selling $108m worth of the stock in 2022. Kimbal also served on the board of SpaceX from its founding until 2022 and remains a prominent shareholder. SpaceX this month became the world’s most valuable private company and plans to go public later this year at a valuation of up to $1.5tn. Kimbal is additionally the CEO of a drone entertainment business and co-founder of The Kitchen restaurant group, as well as founder of the food education non-profit Big Green. Until last month, he was a board member of the annual Burning Man festival in the Nevada desert.
Epstein, who pleaded guilty in 2008 in Florida to charges of procuring a minor for prostitution and soliciting a prostitute, had long used women and social events to make connections to some of the world’s most powerful people. He died in 2019 after facing federal charges of sex trafficking minors and has since been the subject of relentless speculation, conspiracies and investigations into his operations.
‘Jeffrey and Boris, many thanks for connecting me’
It is unclear how Kimbal Musk first encountered Jeffrey Epstein, but in September of 2012, he extended the disgraced financier an invite to his birthday at the Four Seasons hotel in Manhattan. Musk was in town to celebrate turning 40 years old and had been talking with Boris Nikolic, a longtime associate of Epstein and tech investor, about his party plans.
“Just talked to Kimbal. His actual bday is on Thursday night (although his party is on Saturday). Kimbal, Elon and few of their closest friends will go out that night,” Nikolic emailed Epstein on 19 Sept, a day before Musk’s birthday. “I told him that you will join us as well. Also I told him that you are coming with [the woman’s name] and that he might want to ditch his ex/or current to be. He said yes and is looking so much forward.”
“So please prepare [the woman] —;) She might like Elon as well,” Nikolic added.
On the Friday after his birthday, Kimbal Musk emailed Nikolic telling him that he had a fun night and to let Epstein and his friends know that they were invited to his formal birthday party the next night at the Four Seasons. Musk instructed Nikolic to send his executive assistant, Karla Shaw, the names of who Epstein and Nikolic would bring to the party.
Nikolic almost immediately relayed Musk’s emails to Epstein, who replied asking whether he and Nikolic could set up a lunch with both Musk brothers at Epstein’s home. Later that day, Nikolic followed up with Epstein reminding him to send a list of names for Musk’s party.
“Pls reply with whom you are going to that party. Kimbal really like [the woman]”, Nikolic said.
An email from Musk to Epstein the following week suggests that Epstein did not attend the party, but Musk then initiated plans for the two to spend time together.
“Hey Jeffrey. Sorry you missed the party. It was a blast. Sorry to miss lunch on Sunday. Had to fly back and nurse myself back to health. 😉 I’ll be in town next Friday (Oct 5th). I’d love to meet up if you’re in town. Imk,” Musk emailed Epstein on 26 September.
Over the next two weeks, assistants for Epstein and Musk sorted out the details of the lunch – fretting over Musk being a “foodie” and arranging a potential driver for him to New York’s La Guardia airport afterwards. An email to Epstein from his assistant stated that Musk was confirmed to visit on 7 October at 1130am.
In a series of emails between Musk, Nikolic and Epstein following the lunch, Musk proposed seeing them again when he would return to New York later that month around Halloween – exchanging jokes with Nikolic about the three of them dressing up as the Holy Spirit, Virgin Mary and Baby Jesus. Musk also thanked Epstein and Nikolic for setting him up with the woman, resulting in an exchange where Nikolic told Musk to “be nice” to the woman since she is one of Epstein’s “girls”.
“Great to hang out today. Jeffrey and Boris, many thanks for connecting me with [the woman]. I believe you both played a role. :),” Musk wrote on 7 October.
“Kimbal — just fyi — you better be nice to [the woman] 😉 Jeffrey goes crazy when someone mistreats his girls/friends. So better be very nice to her,” Nikolic responded.
“Jeffrey: Message received wide and clear. 😉 Seriously, I am very happy with my time so far with [the woman]. She’s great,” Musk replied.
In the weeks that followed, Musk and the woman appear to have begun spending more time with one another. He sent her an affectionate email on 22 October saying that the universe had conspired to bring them together and invited her to fly with him to London the next month to attend a birthday party for Talulah Riley, who at the time was married to Elon Musk.
“Talulah’s birthday party is on Nov 17th in London. I was not going to go, but now getting flack from my family that I’m a lame-oh. And I now have someone I’d like to take. ;),” Musk emailed, adding that they could stay with each other through Thanksgiving and keep traveling together. He signed off the email “xoxo”.
The woman forwarded the invite to Epstein, adding “All who thought to introduce us are GENIUS! ; )”. Epstein responded with suggestions on what she should do with Musk.
“stay thorugh thankisgiving. go somewhere romantic morocoo . . etc,” Epstein emailed, suggesting that she could also come to his private island beforehand. He also sent one of his associates an itinerary of the woman’s scheduled travels with Musk covering the period of October to January that included over a dozen days the woman and Musk would be together.
Around the time that Epstein was giving advice to the woman about Kimbal Musk, he was also exchanging messages with Elon Musk. A series of emails from November included Epstein asking the tech mogul how many people he would take on Epstein’s helicopter to visit his private island.
“how many people will you be for heli to island,” Epstein asked on 24 November.
“Probably just Talulah and me. What day/night will be the wildest party on your island?” Elon Musk replied a day later. The trip appeared to never take place due to logistical issues. Elon Musk claimed last month that his communications with Epstein, which included other email exchanges and social invitations, were “misinterpreted” and has called the release of the files a “distraction” despite harping on them throughout 2025.
Epstein also extended Kimbal Musk an invite to his island on 24 January, which the younger Musk said “would be nice” but declined because he was “still dealing with the nuclear explosion that is my life”. Musk thanked Epstein for the invitation and told him to “say hi to [the woman]”.
‘good news now i have you back again, full time’
The relationship between Kimbal Musk and the woman appears to have continued for months into 2013, up until he sent her an email asking to slow things down and revert to a more casual relationship. Musk’s lengthy email began with an apology to the woman for being “in such a bummed out mood last night” and said he wished he had more time for the woman but “at the end of each day I just want to pass out”.
“We know how much we like each other. But I am just not able to do a real relationship right now. Would you be up for going back a step to just dating? We would see each other on weekends when we can and focus it on fun stuff,” Musk emailed on 26 April.
The woman forwarded the email to Epstein, once again asking for advice.
“Thoughts? I just don’t think I’d EVER be a priority because he hasn’t shown any ability to get over history or find a way to emotionally cope with the future… Grandfathers funeral, whole family around today and he sends me this…,” the woman wrote.
In response to her email, Epstein demanded to know where the woman was and stated that he thought she was in Los Angeles. The woman responded that she postponed her flight to attend her grandfather’s funeral, suggesting that Epstein told her to stay for it.
“ok, good news now i have you back again,full time, come to ranch you;;ll feel better, come tonihgt if Youwant [sic],” Epstein replied in a separate email.
The woman also sent Musk’s email to Steve Hanson, another associate of Epstein, who responded with a frenetic email to Epstein and the woman chastising her for how she handled the relationship and giving instructions on what to do next. Hanson has not been accused of any wrongdoing in relation to Epstein and did not return a request for comment.
“U gave to much too quick . As I said u should have come home after 1 max 2 weeks. Just don’t even answer his e or calls for 10 days. Leave NOW . In 1 week we will have. A plan for u. As u wont be able to listen now anyway – if u walk- which u must do . Just get on a flight tonight. U have to control this. Its a game. Your losing. Your not even playing. Also turn your phone off. So when it rings its auto to voice mail. Jeff ??” Hanson’s email stated.
The following day, the woman sent Epstein another email that included what she claimed was a text from Kimbal. The text appeared to be an apology from Musk about the situation and an offer for a driver to pick her up from the Los Angeles airport, but The Guardian found no response from Epstein to the woman in the justice department’s latest files.
“Hey. I’m really sorry. I wish things were simpler. There will be a car for you at the airport if you did take the flight. It will take you wherever you want to go. I’m here until Wednesday if you’d like to talk. K,” the email from Musk stated.
Although the files show no documentation of an intimate relationship between Musk and the woman beyond this point, he continued to invite Epstein to private events through at least 2014. Epstein also exchanged emails with Elon Musk later in 2013 about plans for a visit to his island, which Epstein ended up canceling after deciding to stay in New York.
Contact between Musk and the woman in Epstein’s network did not entirely end. Years later in 2015, the woman received a personal invite from Musk to attend a charity event for his food education non-profit, telling her he would love for her to attend.
“Kimbal invited me to this below, what do you think?” the woman asked Epstein.
“go,” Epstein replied.
The Musks under scrutiny over Epstein
Kimbal Musk has described the months following his divorce as a sad, chaotic time in his life in which he dated numerous women and became “an unhealthy version” of himself.
“We separated and I would start drinking, just start to act irresponsibly,” Musk said last year on a podcast for the bidet company Tushy. “Meaning fooling around with girls, partying. I always love a good party, don’t get me wrong, but this was unhealthy.”
Musk claimed that he created rules for himself during this time such as dating three women at once to avoid forming too strong of an attachment to any one person, and that he learned a practice of “being very honest with girls that I dated that I’m just not ready”.
He would later become an avowed advocate for psychedelics-assisted therapy in the past decade as a means of healing emotional trauma and a self-described “burner”, the term for fans of the annual Burning Man festival in the Nevada desert.
The revelation that Musk had numerous interactions with Epstein caused backlash from some members of the Burning Man community, amid greater scrutiny on both Kimbal and Elon Musk’s ties with the notorious sex offender. An open letter to the Burning Man board last week calling for the festival to hold a review of Kimbal Musk’s board position received hundreds of signatures.
A spokesperson for the festival said his decision to leave Burning Man’s board was made last month before the justice department’s release of Epstein’s emails.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: theguardian.com
