The excentric Canadian indie pop artist Grimes was recently asked on X (formerly Twitter) why she hadn’t released any new music recently. Grimes, who’s been embroiled in a difficult custody battle with X owner and Trump crony Elon Musk, responded, “The threat of losing ur kids while going bankrupt fighting for them is not very conducive to creative thoughts. I just slept and cried every minute I wasn’t explicitly fighting for my kids during that year.”
Grimes fans, (and Elon Musk haters), have come out in defense of Grimes and her horrid experience during the custody battle for her kids. One user highlighted that Grimes’ mother made public pleas on Musk’s social media platform X for her daughter’s children. It appears there was a point early on in Grimes’ and Musk’s civil suit where Musk allegedly unlawfully withheld their children without granting Grimes contact.
The emotional turmoil of that situation is extremely understandable, given Grimes’ perspective as a mother. Parents of all genders can probably sympathize with the traumatizing experience of having their children withheld from them.
Although Grimes filed for custody in California, their dispute ended in Texas court, where Musk filed. Some believed his decision to hold court in Austin, Texas, was due to the state’s low maximum for child support: for a family with three children, child support payments are capped at just under $3000.
This low-ball offer would hurt Grimes’ finances due to the lifestyle she and her children would have grown accustomed to under the care of Elon Musk’s billionaire fortune. There is also the possibility that the amount of child support would not be sufficient for the needs of these children as high-profile names in the public eye. Elon Musk has repeatedly used images of his many children as props for his political gain, putting their likenesses on display and their anonymity in jeopardy.
Grimes’ claim to be bankrupted by this custody battle is highly likely due to Musk’s vast resources compared to the singer’s. Her claims insinuate not only a financial strain but an emotional one, as she was likely repeatedly told the unlikelihood of this case going her way. At the same time, her children were being publicly used as props and unceremoniously dangled in her periphery while Musk prevented access to them. Both ploys on Musk’s part might be considered emotional blackmail used as a bargaining tool to get his way, which is a despicable theory yet not out of reach for this conservative, Trump-loving mogul.
It is admirable that Grimes continued to fight for the custody of her children, especially considering the prolonged battle that lasted over a year. As of November 21, the Texas case is closed. The official outcome of this case has been kept under wraps. Yet, some have speculated that Grimes won, while others suspect she submitted to Musk’s terms in the end.
The most conflicting part of this story is how to be sympathetic to Grimes while holding her accountable for being complacent to Musk’s temper tantrums and sharp turn to far-right conspiracies after she founded her singing career as a progressive leftist.
However, we can never see these situations as black and white, especially when so much emotion and money are on the line—and either party may cause turmoil in raising these children.
Published: Nov 23, 2024 09:38 am