Elon Musk’s Wildest Date: Hotel Room and Rocket Videos – His Twice-Married Ex-Wife Reveals the Truth!

Elon Musk has never been one to follow conventions, whether it’s revolutionizing the electric car industry with Tesla, propelling space travel into the future with SpaceX, or, it seems, even in the world of dating. His ex-wife, Talulah Riley, shared an unusual and captivating story about their early days together in a BBC documentary, shedding light on just how unorthodox their courtship truly was.

Musk’s idea of romance was not typical, not by a long shot. In fact, it was grounded in his obsession with rockets, something that would become a defining characteristic not just of his career, but of his personal life as well.

Riley recounted a particularly quirky date night during the early days of their whirlwind romance. Instead of the usual romantic setting—a candle-lit dinner, a scenic walk, or perhaps a movie night—Musk invited Riley to his hotel room to watch "rocket videos." Yes, you read that right. It was a literal invitation to sit down and watch footage of rockets. At first, Riley thought it was some form of coded message.

Surely, she assumed, there was more to this invitation than met the eye. However, when she arrived at the hotel room, Musk wasn’t talking about anything flirtatious or suggestive. He just played the videos. Nothing more. Nothing less.

"I remember one evening he said, ‘Would you like to come back to my hotel room so we can look at rocket videos?' I said, ‘Hmm ... OK, yeah,’" Riley recalled, laughing at the absurdity of it all. "And we did get into his hotel room, and he did just show me rocket videos."

For Musk, it wasn’t some strange, offbeat idea to catch Riley’s attention; it was part of the fabric of who he was. Musk’s love for rockets and space exploration has always been one of the core elements of his identity, both in his professional ventures and personal life. But even as Riley was captivated by his unconventional nature, the romance between them quickly deepened.

Despite his eccentricity, she found herself drawn to him.

In a 2014 CBS interview, Riley spoke candidly about how quickly things moved between them. “It all happened very fast,” she admitted. "We were engaged after, I think, sorta two weeks of knowing each other." At just 22 years old, Riley was swept up in the excitement and whirlwind of the relationship, with Musk proving to be “the most interesting and eccentric person I have ever met.”

It was clear that Musk’s charm and his completely unconventional way of navigating life had left a lasting impact on her, and she became fully immersed in the chaos of his world.

The two married in 2010, and for a brief moment, it seemed as though their love story might be a traditional one. But Musk’s drive—whether it be for space exploration, business ventures, or relationships—was anything but ordinary.

Just two years later, in 2012, the couple divorced. The fast-moving, rocket-powered relationship had come to an abrupt halt. However, true to form, Musk didn’t give up so easily. He convinced Riley to remarry him in 2013, just one year after their divorce. For Riley, however, the second marriage felt less like a fresh start and more like a formality.

In 2022, Riley opened up about how strange it felt to rekindle the marriage. "It was like a habit," she said in an interview with The Independent, reflecting on the sense of routine that replaced the excitement of their earlier romance. Despite the rekindling, their second attempt at marriage didn’t last. By 2016, they were divorced for a second time, signaling the end of a highly unusual and intense chapter in both of their lives.

But Riley has always spoken fondly of Musk. Despite the romantic fallout, she referred to him as the "perfect ex-husband" and expressed how their bond remained loving and supportive despite the challenges they faced.

Riley was never a passive player in Musk’s ambitious world. She didn't sit idly by, living a life of luxury as a so-called "trophy wife." Instead, she fully immersed herself in Musk’s chaotic universe, becoming involved in his world of electric cars and interplanetary missions.

She even helped care for his five children from his previous marriage. Riley shared that it was a "family-wide effort" and emphasized that her life was far from idle. “It wasn’t like I was stuck in a mansion in Bel Air like a trophy wife,” she explained, highlighting her role as an active participant in the Musk family dynamic.

Despite the tension and eventual end of their marriage, Riley and Musk remained close. The financial terms of their divorces were undoubtedly significant, with Riley receiving $4.2 million in their first split and $16 million after their second. In total, the settlements added up to over $20 million.

But these financial considerations did little to sever the bond they shared. Even after their second divorce, Riley continued to support Musk’s endeavors. In fact, she privately encouraged him to purchase Twitter, sending him messages urging him to go through with the deal.

Riley’s loyalty to Musk, even after their split, reflects the complexities of their relationship. Musk’s unconventional approach to love and life wasn’t just a trait; it became a foundation for how he navigated his personal and professional relationships. He didn’t follow the traditional script. Even his approach to business, where he continuously defies expectations and tackles seemingly impossible goals, mirrored the way he navigated love.

Now remarried to actor Thomas Brodie-Sangster, Riley still defends Musk from the public criticism he often faces. In an interview with The Times in August 2024, she was asked why her personal experience with Musk seemed so different from the often polarizing public image he portrayed. Riley explained that much of what’s written in the mainstream media doesn't represent the full picture.

“You know more than anyone how what we read in the mainstream media is not necessarily an absolute truth,” she said. Drawing a comparison to “kayfabe,” a wrestling term for staged performances where the audience buys into an illusion, Riley suggested that the persona Musk presents publicly could very well be part of a larger performance.

While Riley didn’t offer a definitive answer to whether Musk’s public persona was just a performance, she did admit that her opinion on him was deeply subjective. "I loved/love the guy, so I'm incredibly subjective in my opinion, cannot be unbiased and shouldn’t be expected to be either," she said, acknowledging that her feelings for Musk were shaped by her experience with him.

"I’m sure, well ... You know what being in love is, right?" Her words reveal the complexity of their relationship, which despite all its ups and downs, remained rooted in affection and mutual respect.

Elon Musk’s relationships, much like his ventures into space or his innovations with Tesla, have always been unpredictable and unconventional. His love life, marked by rapid engagements, dramatic breakups, and even a second shot at love, mirrors the very unpredictability that defines Musk himself. In a world where billionaires tend to keep their personal lives under wraps, Musk’s approach is refreshingly unorthodox.

Whether it’s inviting a woman to his hotel room to watch rocket videos or rekindling a romance after a failed marriage, Musk’s personal life remains as intriguing and unpredictable as his business ventures. For those like Talulah Riley who have been swept up in his world, their shared history will always be defined by the sheer unexpectedness of it all.