World’s richest person Elon Musk once forgot his wife’s Christmas gift; when ex-wife Talulah Riley recalled how he went barefoot into the snow and returned with flowers instead
Elon Musk once forgot to buy his then-wife Talulah Riley a Christmas present. What happened later that night, however, was something she remembered years afterwards. Riley, the British actress who married Musk twice, recalled the incident in the BBC documentary The Elon Musk Show, which was first broadcast in 2022. She said the couple were living in Boulder, Colorado, at the time and there was heavy snow outside.According to Riley, Musk realised he had forgotten her Christmas gift and told her that it was not because he did not love her, but because he was overwhelmed and his “brain” was exploding.She said she did not make much of it. But later that night, Musk got out of bed and disappeared. Two hours later, he returned with flowers.
Musk went out barefoot in the snow
Riley recalled that Musk had gone outside wearing only a T-shirt and shorts and was barefoot. According to her account, he walked around Boulder, dug through the snow and picked flowers before returning with a small bouquet. “He’d walked all over Boulder and came back with a little bouquet of picked flowers,” Riley recalled in the documentary. She said Musk then told her: “I just wanted to show you how much I loved you.”
Riley said Musk was far from “cold and emotionless”
Elon Musk and his ex-wife Talulah Riley.
For Riley, the incident was more than a story about a forgotten Christmas present. She used it to challenge the public image of Musk as someone who is detached or unemotional. In the documentary, Riley described him as “the most emotional person I know” and said the idea that he was cold and emotionless was far removed from her experience of him.She also described a certain innocence in him and said he felt emotions very deeply. The Christmas incident came during a period when Musk was dealing with intense pressure around his businesses. Riley recalled that he was under enormous stress at the time and that she was concerned about his health.The documentary looked at Musk’s rise through interviews with people who knew him, including family members, friends and associates. The series also covered the period when SpaceX was fighting for survival and Tesla was struggling to establish itself.
Musk and Talulah Riley married twice
Riley and Musk’s relationship had its own twists. The couple first married in 2010 and divorced in 2012. They later reconciled and married again in 2013, before divorcing for a second time in 2016.Despite their relationship ending, Riley has spoken positively about Musk in the years since their marriages ended. She has referred to him as a “perfect ex-husband”, and has also publicly described his emotional side. The flower story is one of the more personal memories she has shared about their relationship.
