Olivia Wilde accused Elon Musk of being the epitome of “incel” misogyny and said she was now “deeply outraged” by the tech billionaire, recalling meeting him at SpaceX headquarters in Los Angeles several years before his high-profile political turn.
In a recent interview on Louis Theroux Podcast, Wilde reflects on how men in power shape culture and politics, and how these thoughts permeate her recent work.
The actor and director promotes his new film Invitation returning to the controversy and debate surrounding her 2022 psychological thriller. Don’t worry darlingwhich she said was driven in part by concerns about the infiltration of misogynistic ideology into mainstream life and electoral politics.
Elon Musk, misogyny and ruined first impressions
Wilde told Theroux that she met Musk “many, many years ago” when SpaceX had just opened its Los Angeles base. At the time, she said, she was involved with an organization in Haiti that was building hospitals and schools, and Musk expressed interest in supporting it financially.
“I had to go on a tour because I wanted to see the rocket ships,” she recalled. Musk, she said, “was interested in donating money to an organization in Haiti that I was a member of that built hospitals and schools.” According to Wilde, “he was quite interested in donating money, and I believe he did donate some money, and that was appreciated.”
Even then, she admitted, she found him puzzling. “He confused me a little,” she said. “I never would have thought that he would go down the path that he is on because he actually seemed very smart.”
After that brief meeting, Wilde suggested, her views changed dramatically as Musk’s public persona hardened and his views became more visible. Without going into detail about specific posts or actions, she criticized what she sees as a worldview that views human relationships and even birth rates as engineering problems to be solved by self-appointed elites.
The director directly connected Musk’s rhetoric about the “underpopulation crisis” to a broader pattern of male power fantasies. She placed him among men who believe they are “more powerful than nature” and said she believes the belief is inseparable from deep-rooted misogyny.
Wilde described Musk as having “turned into this creature,” adding bluntly: “Now I’m really resentful of him, I’m really deeply resentful of him.”
Nothing in the interview indicated a recent private quarrel between the couple; rather, it was the direction of Musk’s public positions and political alliances that seemed to crystallize her anger. At the time of publication, Musk had not publicly responded to Wilde’s remarks, and his representatives were not quoted in the said podcast segment. In the absence of his side of the story, her story remains just that: a clearly articulated personal assessment based on her own brief interactions and years of watching his rise.
From Jordan Peterson to Incel Culture: How Elon Musk fits into the picture
Much of Theroux’s conversation revolved not just around Musk, but also what Wilde sees as a resurgent misogynistic culture online and beyond. Looking back on Don’t worry darlingConservative commentator Jordan Peterson helped inspire Chris Pine’s brilliant, iconic character in the film, she said.
Wilde acknowledged that it might be “unfair” to call Peterson a “pseudo-intellectual” but said she was “disturbed by what I saw as this kind of misogynistic philosophy that was clearly weaponized in a way that caused us to elect Trump twice.” The reference to Trump’s two electoral victories reflects how she views this style of rhetoric as part of a longer political arc, even if the election math is controversial and highly partisan.
Olivia Wilde described Musk as having “turned into this thing,” adding bluntly: “I really resent him now, I really resent him deeply.” (Photo: Gage Skidmore/Wikimedia Commons)
Musk’s fixation on population decline, she says, is in the same ecosystem as these ideas: men presenting themselves as rational stewards of civilization, while women’s bodies and choices become a kind of political leverage. It’s a harsh reading that many Musk fans would reject, but it’s clearly the lens through which Wilde now views him.
This theme permeates Invitationnew comedy-drama, which she narrated in detail. The film touches on expectations of desire and rights in marriage, and Wilde pointed to one scene between her and her co-star Seth Rogen, who plays her husband.
“He says, ‘You must want me.’ And it’s very sad, and I think people know this feeling. You must want me. You married me, and that gives me the right to feel attracted to you,” Wilde said. “I mean, wow, is this straying from the manosphere conversation?”
For Wilde, the moral line is clear enough. “You have a right to the love of your parents, I believe that,” she added. In her opinion, children will never have to earn love. “However, this is a family matter and not something that should exist between couples.”
Her remarks bring together technological power, online subcultures and personal intimacy in a way that is bound to provoke controversy. To her, Musk is no longer just an eccentric rocket scientist, but part of a larger story about how some men talk about women, relationships and the future of humanity itself. Nothing she said in the interview has been independently verified other than her own account.
However, since she promotes Invitation and Gregg Araki I want your sexstarring Wilde and opening July 31, it’s clear she’s not interested in politely skirting Musk, Peterson, or the “manosphere.” For better or worse, she decides to name them.