Elon Musk is rarely out of the spotlight with headline-grabbing business moves, controversial tweets, and unpredictable politics.
Occasionally, however, his love life pops up in the news as well — including that with actor Amber Heard.
While the world knows Musk as the billionaire mind behind Tesla, SpaceX, and X (formerly Twitter) — as well as being a father of 13 children by four different mothers — his complicated romantic history with the Aquaman actor has been highly publicised.
Their romance didn’t start with a red carpet announcement, but rather an unexpected encounter at the 2016 Met Gala. Heard, who was still married to Johnny Depp at the time, claimed she was stood up and ended up in conversation with the Tesla CEO instead.
When talking to author Walter Isaacson for his 2023 biography of Musk — simply titled ‘Elon Musk’ — Heard explained: “I was standing in line, right in front of a gentleman. It was Elon”.
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“I didn't recognise him until we started talking. He reminded me that we had met once before when he was with his mother”.
Although Musk had already been intrigued by the actress after watching her in the 2013 film Machete Kills, the two didn’t start dating until 2017 — shortly after Heard’s divorce was finalised. What followed was an intense, off-and-on relationship that lasted about a year.
When talking to Isaccson for the same biography, Musk himself didn’t hold back when asked about the relationship.
His description was a simple, three-word verdict: “It was brutal.”
The couple’s time together pushed the definition of the words “long-term relationship” — from Heard flying across the world to surprise Musk at his Tesla factory in California, to Musk visiting her on the set of Aquaman in Australia. Despite the chaos, they bonded over the unexpected mutual interest of geek culture.
Heard also told Isaacson: “I guess I could be called a geek for someone who can also be called a hot chick”.
But despite their connection, the relationship couldn’t survive the demands of their ultra-busy lives. Within a year, they had called it quits — though the split seemed to be mutual and drama-free.
After initially commenting on a Little Mermaid-themed photo on Heard’s Instagram, Musk added a follow-up response to clarify to curious followers about the breakup:
“Although Amber and I did break up, we are still friends, remain close and love one another.
Long-distance relationships when both partners have intense work obligations are always difficult, but who knows what the future holds.”
Heard also reflected on their time together in the biography, offering her own poetic take:
“I love him very much. Elon loves fire, and sometimes it burns him.”
It’s safe to say that Musk is still living a hectic life, thanks to his more recent political obligations to DOGE as part of US President Donald Trump’s administration. Still, as the billionaire said himself, you never know what the future holds.