The story those 'cute' images of Elon Musk and his son don't tell you.

We've all seen the pictures of Elon Musk parading his son X Æ A-Xii around the Oval Office.

X Æ A-Xii, or X, (we don't know how to pronounce it either) sat on his dad's shoulders and stood by his side, holding onto his leg, during a press conference with Donald Trump last week.

Let's be honest, they were cute photos, and we're all for having leaders parent in public.

Take Jacinda Ardern for example. The former New Zealand prime minister became the first world leader to attend the UN General Assembly meeting with her baby in tow — and we'll cheers to that.

But here's the thing.

In the Musk's case, the gesture doesn't sit the same, especially when you consider the four-year-old's mother, Grimes, was locked in a years-long custody battle with Elon and wants her child kept out of the spotlight.

X Æ A-Xii with his dad Elon Musk and Donald Trump. Image: Getty.

It feels like Musk is painting himself as a doting father, and for some of his fans, it worked. The billionaire was applauded for the "super-cute" father-son moment as he rambled about democracy.

And yet, others saw through it, as a feeble attempt at humanising himself.

Arwa Mahdawi put it well in The Guardian when she wrote, "After all, having a kid on your shoulders makes you seem less like a robber baron with a weird breeding fetish and more like a fun dad."

But let's talk about the context here, because it changes the whole story.

Grimes, with whom Musk shares three children, wasn't even aware their son was going to be included in the press conference and only learned about it on social media.

"He should not be in public like this," the singer wrote on X. "I did not see this, thank u for alerting me. But I'm glad he was polite. Sigh." Grimes has said multiple times she wants her kids out of the public eye, prioritising their privacy.

And it's not the first time she's had to distance herself from Musk. When he was condemned for using what many claimed looked like a Nazi salute in January, Grimes took to social media to defend herself.

"It's absurd that someone can be this cancelled for something their ex did before they even heard it happened," she wrote on X. "I am not him. I will not make a statement every time he does something. I can only send love back into a world that is hurting."

She added, "To be clear I could go talk s*** and be on a bunch of magazine covers and be a feminist hero and get clout — but it would serve no purpose. I choose my children's wellbeing."

And really, that's what this ongoing legal battle is about: the children's wellbeing.

He should not be in public like this. I did not see this, thank u for alerting me. But I'm glad he was polite. Sigh

— 𝖦𝗋𝗂𝗆𝖾𝗌 ⏳ (@Grimezsz) February 12, 2025

The couple debuted their relationship in 2018 and welcomed their first child, X Æ A-Xii, in May 2020. They went on to quietly have two more children via surrogate: daughter Exa Dark Sideræl in December 2021 and son Techno Mechanicus in June 2022.

Then came the split. For good, this time. Reportedly, it was after Grimes learned Musk had separately fathered a set of twins with a director at one of his startups.

At first, Grimes said she was determined to have a healthy co-parenting relationship with her ex as the kids continued to grow.

​​"I really care about having a very good relationship with my kids," she told Wired in August 2023. "I think I understand how to be a good parent to them. Both enforcing discipline and being their friend. Who knows, maybe they'll resent me and reject family culture, but I feel like they will not."

Elon Musk and Grimes at the Met Gala in 2018. Image: Getty.

But then, things took a turn.

In 2023, the former couple filed duelling lawsuits against one another in two different states, Texas and California, arguing over where the children actually lived.

That September, Musk quietly sued Grimes in Texas court to establish a "parent-child" relationship with the kids after he claimed Grimes "was not returning to Texas with the younger children".

Exa and Techno were living with Grimes in California, but X Æ A-Xii remained in Texas with Elon at this stage, Business Insider reports.

On the same day, Grimes took to X in a since-deleted post calling for Musk to "let me see my son or plz respond to my lawyer".

Weeks later, Grimes sued Musk, asking for primary physical custody and joint legal custody of their three kids.

In December 2023, a Texas judge agreed to seal the case and close the courtroom to media.

But that's not the end of the story.

Elon Musk with his son in Washington, DC in December.

In July 2024, Grimes's mother accused Musk of withholding her grandchildren's passports so they couldn't visit their dying great-grandmother.

The custody battle was resolved behind closed doors in August that year. It's unclear how it was resolved and the status of Grimes' original San Francisco case is also unclear.

In November, Grimes opened up about her fight for custody, saying she'd been kept from one of her children for five months.

"Spent a year locked in battle in a state with terrible mothers' rights. Having my Instagram posts and modeling used as reasons I shouldn't have my kids, and fighting and detaching from the love of my life as he becomes unrecognizable to me," she wrote on X.

Grimes explained that she was struggling to match Musk's resources in the legal fight.

"The threat of losing [your] kids while going bankrupt fighting for them is not very conducive to creative thoughts," she wrote, explaining her lack of music.

"I just slept and cried every minute I wasn't explicitly fighting for my kids during that year," she said.

"This is only what can be said publicly, since most of my experience these last years should remain behind closed doors."

Not sure about you, but it doesn't quite sound like Father of the Year to us.

Feature image: Getty.