WASHINGTON, DC: Elon Musk’s father Errol was slammed across social media for baselessly claiming former first lady Michelle Obama to be “a man” while appearing on a podcast, Marca reported on Saturday, February 15.

The rumor has long circulated among far-right groups, despite there being no supporting evidence. Errol attempted to pass off the debunked claim as “common knowledge,” and made other grossly inappropriate remarks aimed at Michelle in the process.

Errol Musk’s comments on Michelle Obama

Appearing on the ‘Wide Awake Podcast’ with host Joshua Rubin, Errol initially attacked former president Barack Obama saying, “We realized Obama is a queer who is married to a man who dresses as a woman. We all learned that. It’s not common knowledge.”

When Rubin appeared stunned by Errol’s claim that Michelle Obama is a “man,” the latter doubled down with, “Of course, you don’t know that? Joan Rivers mentioned it publicly, and she was dead two weeks later by the way. They axed her, yeah. So that’s common knowledge. You can look it up anywhere.”
Barack Obama greets former first lady Michelle Obama as he arrives to speak on stage during the second day of the Democratic National Convention at the United Center on August 20, 2024, in Chicago, Illinois (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
According to Marca, Rivers, a comedian, had made fun of Michelle’s gender identity in 2014. Two weeks later, she died from complications during a brain surgery. No credible link has ever been established between the two incidents.

Errol Musk’s criticism of his son Elon

In the same interview, Errol Musk called out his son Elon, the tech billionaire, on his parenting style, claiming that he “has not been a good dad.”

He brought up the tragic death of Elon’s first child from sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) at just 10 weeks old and stated, “The baby was cared for too much by nannies and, sadly, passed away while under their watch. If Elon hears me saying this, he’s going to shoot me or something. But anyway, that’s what I think.”

He also criticized the upbringing of his remaining grandchildren, saying, “They were too rich, too many nannies. Then he had five children with the same woman. They each had a nanny. It was really a weird situation.”
Elon Musk and his son X appear on stage at President-Elect Donald Trump’s victory rally at the Capital One Arena on January 19, 2025, in Washington, DC (Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images)
Elon, who is known to have fathered at least 12 children, is known to have long been at odds with his father, and has described him as “evil” and “a terrible human being.”

Errol Musk gets slammed on social media

Netizens reacting to Errol’s statement on the social media platform X derided him for propagating the distasteful rumor. The following tweets demonstrate their takes.

“Imagine believing this guy!” wrote a user.

“Why is this man given a platform?” demanded another.

“That’s absolute nonsense,” noted one.

“This guy is either an idiot or out of (his) mind!” exclaimed someone else.

“This kind of rhetoric is both dangerous and misleading,” shared another.

“Yeah sorry this is crazy talk,” expressed yet another.

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.