After a tumultuous year that played out before a national audience, Elon Musk is marking his 54th birthday on Saturday, June 28.
Much of the billionaire's past year has been dominated by his friendship and subsequent fallout with President Donald Trump -- and outside of the political arena, Musk's personal life has come under scrutiny in bombshell reports, which included alleged drug usage and family drama involving the father of 14.
(He has repeatedly dismissed much of the media coverage about him, claiming it's biased, as well as criticism from his extended family.)
Musk first backed Trump's second bid for the White House on the evening of an assassination attempt on the campaign trail. The SpaceX founder ultimately spent more than $250 million to support Trump and other Republican candidates in the 2024 race, according to CBS News.
As Trump was swept back into the White House, Musk was tapped to lead the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) as part of Trump's pledge to voters to target what he called government waste and inefficiency.
But the ensuing budget cuts also stoked widespread controversy as thousands of federal jobs were slashed as were key government aid programs.
In late May, Musk left his role after a disagreement over the president's spending plan, otherwise known as the "Big, Beautiful Bill" -- and in the days to follow, he began feuding with Trump online, although he did eventually delete his explosive claim that Trump's name is in the Jeffrey Epstein files, which Trump dismissed.
On Thursday, June 5, Trump said during a press conference, "Elon and I had a great relationship. I don't know if we will anymore."
About a week later, on Thursday, June 12, Trump expressed surprise that the Tesla CEO endorsed him despite potential differences on electric vehicles, adding, "He got a little bit strange, but I don't know why."
The test on June 17 indicated he was negative for the use of ketamine, ecstasy, cocaine, amphetamines and other substances.
Notably, the collection date for the urine test was listed as June 11, just 12 days after the Times published their report. On its website, the drug testing facility noted that most drugs are out of the system within 2 to 10 days when measured by a rapid urinalysis test.
In a statement to PEOPLE at the time, a Times spokesperson said the publication "stands by" their reporting on Musk's alleged drug use.
This year, two women connected to Musk said he had welcomed two more children.
On February 14, author and conservative influencer Ashley St. Clair said she had welcomed a son with Musk, who was born in September 2024, via X. His name was later revealed to be Romulus and in April, the Wall Street Journal reported that a report from Labcorp revealed that Musk's "Probability of Paternity" was 99.9999%.
Shortly after St. Clair's announcement, on Friday, Feb. 28, Shivon Zilis announced she had welcomed her fourth child with Musk, a son named Seldon Lycurgus.
Speaking with Teen Vogue earlier this year, Musk's estranged daughter Vivian Wilson, whom he shares with ex-wife Justine Wilson, said she didn't "actually know how many siblings I have, if you include half-siblings."
When it comes to business, Musk has had more ups and downs.
As Trump took office and appointed Musk to lead DOGE, there were a wave of attacks and vandalism targeting Tesla owners, dealerships and charging stations -- which Trump's administration decried as "terrorism" -- and in the first few months of 2025, his net worth dropped by more than $100 billion as Tesla stock prices fell amid a combination of tariff announcements and criticism of his government involvement.
In March, his electric vehicle company faced another hurdle when Tesla voluntarily recalled about 46,000 Cybertrucks—which were at risk of experiencing a trim panel detachment.
Musk's SpaceX faced a busy year as well, collaborating with NASA to help bring home two astronauts who were "stranded" at the International Space Station for nine months until their return to Earth in March. There have also been a series of explosions during SpaceX tests flights, although fortunately, no reported injuries.