Latest / Elon Musk Podcast / Affairs, Drugs, and Divorce: The Scandalous Saga of Nicole Shanahan, Elon Musk, and Sergey Brin

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Affairs, Drugs, and Divorce: The Scandalous Saga of Nicole Shanahan, Elon Musk, and Sergey Brin · Elon Musk Podcast

• 0:01
  Hey everybody. Welcome back to the Elon Musk
• 0:04
  Podcast. This is a show where we discuss
• 0:07
  the critical crossroads that shape SpaceX, Tesla X, The
• 0:11
  Boring Company, and Neuralink. I'm your host, Will.
• 0:15
  Walden Nicole Shanahan, a lawyer and the running mate for Robert
• 0:18
  F Kennedy Junior in the 2024 presidential race, has been
• 0:21
  involved in a controversial allegation involving Elon Musk.
• 0:24
  According to reports from The New York Times, Shanahan claimed
• 0:27
  she had a sexual encounter with Musk at a private party in Miami
• 0:32
  in December 2021. This event allegedly contributed
• 0:35
  to her separation from her then husband, Sergey Brin, Google Co
• 0:40
  founder. Shanahan and Musk have both
• 0:43
  denied having an affair. However, the New York Times
• 0:46
  reported that Shanahan confided in Brin, her friends, family and
• 0:49
  advisors about the encounter. The party, hosted by Musk's
• 0:52
  brother Kimball in conjunction with the Our Basel festival, saw
• 0:56
  Shanahan and Musk taking ketamine, a legal party drug,
• 1:00
  when prescribed and disappearing together for several hours.
• 1:03
  The alleged affair became a topic of intense scrutiny when
• 1:07
  it was first reported by the Wall Street Journal in July
• 1:09
  2022, suggesting it caused a rift between Brynn and Musk.
• 1:14
  Shanahan and Musk vehemently denied the allegations, with
• 1:17
  Musk calling the report total BS on social media, asserting he
• 1:24
  had only seen Shanahan twice in three years and always in Group
• 1:29
  settings. Two weeks after the party,
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  Shanahan and Bryn separated, with Brynn filing for divorce in
• 1:35
  January 2022, citing irreconcilable differences.
• 1:39
  This incident was not the first time Shanahan was linked to
• 1:42
  infidelity. Reports indicate that she began
• 1:46
  an affair with Brynn in 2014, shortly before her marriage to
• 1:51
  tech investor Jeremy Kranz. Brynn and Shanahan's connection
• 1:55
  deepened, overshadowing her commitment to Kranz.
• 1:58
  Kranz discovered the affair through text messages between
• 2:01
  Shanahan and Brynn, which he found on her phone.
• 2:04
  This revelation came as a shock to Kranz, who just entered into
• 2:08
  what he believed would be a lifelong partnership.
• 2:11
  The discovery of these messages not only exposed Shanahan's
• 2:14
  betrayal but also highlighted the immediate and intense nature
• 2:19
  of her relationship with Brynn. The fallout from this discovery
• 2:23
  was swift and severe. Just 27 days after their
• 2:26
  wedding, Kranz filed for an annulment, citing fraud as the
• 2:29
  basis for his claim. The annulment was a significant
• 2:32
  legal move, highlighting the depth of Kranz's sense of
• 2:37
  betrayal and the gravity of Shanahan's actions.
• 2:42
  However, facing Shanahan's threats of self harm, Kranz
• 2:46
  chose to finalize their separation through a divorce,
• 2:50
  omitting the fraud claim. This decision marked the end of
• 2:53
  their brief and tumultuous marriage, paving the way for
• 2:56
  Shanahan's future with Brynn. During their marriage, Shanahan
• 3:00
  launched her career as an entrepreneur and philanthropist.
• 3:03
  With Brynn's support and connections, she pursued various
• 3:06
  initiatives, aiming to carve out a niche similar to that of
• 3:09
  Mackenzie Scott, the ex-wife of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos.
• 3:14
  Shanahan's ventures were diverse, reflecting her ambition
• 3:18
  to make a substantial impact in both the tech and philanthropic
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  sectors. Her marriage to Brynn provided
• 3:25
  not only financial security but also a platform to advance her
• 3:29
  professional aspirations. However, the couple's seemingly
• 3:33
  perfect life was not without its challenges.
• 3:35
  The COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 brought about significant
• 3:39
  stress, particularly as the lockdowns forced them to spend
• 3:43
  extended periods together. The strain from these lockdowns,
• 3:46
  combined with the pressures of raising a child with autism,
• 3:49
  began to take a toll on their relationship.
• 3:51
  By 2021, the cracks were becoming evident, and Shanahan
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  started attending social events without Brynn, signaling a
• 3:58
  growing distance between them. This period marked the beginning
• 4:01
  of the end for their marriage, culminating in their separation
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  and eventual divorce. Shanahan and Brynn's
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  relationship began at a yoga festival in Lake Tahoe.
• 4:10
  Despite her impending wedding to Kranz, she pursued a
• 4:12
  relationship with Brynn, which Kranz discovered through text
• 4:15
  messages on her phone. 27 days into their marriage, Kranz filed
• 4:22
  for annulment citing fraud, but later agreed to a divorce,
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  omitting the fraud claim after Shanahan threatened self harm.
• 4:30
  Shanahan's marriage to Bryn was marked by a luxurious lifestyle
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  and her entrance into Silicon Valley's elite circles.
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  They traveled extensively, enjoyed trips on Bryn's yachts,
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  and stayed at their various properties across the United
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  States. During this period, Shanahan
• 4:46
  also launched her career as an entrepreneur and philanthropist.
• 4:50
  The couple's relationship began to strain during the COVID-19
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  lockdowns in 2020, leading to Shanahan attending events
• 4:56
  without Bryn. At one party in Miami in early
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  20/21, she was reportedly so intoxicated by drugs and alcohol
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  that she needed an IV infusion. Shanahan social activities
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  included hosting a Studio 54, the midbirthday party in New
• 5:16
  York City attended by Musk. The Wall Street Journal's report
• 5:21
  of her alleged affair with Musk at the Miami party brought
• 5:24
  renewed attention to her private life.
• 5:27
  In an interview with People magazine in 2023, Shanahan
• 5:30
  reiterated her denial of an affair with Musk.
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  She described Musk as a friend who had advised her on handling
• 5:35
  her daughter's autism diagnosis. Musk had publicly disclosed his
• 5:40
  own Asperger's syndrome during a Saturday Night Live appearance
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  in 2021. Shanahan also expressed
• 5:47
  frustration with being labeled a gold digger, calling the
• 5:50
  accusation sexist. Despite her divorce settlement
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  from Brynn, which significantly increased her wealth, she
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  emphasized her professional achievements and the impact of
• 6:00
  the media's portrayal on her reputation.
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  My career has been based on academic and intellectual
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  credibility, and I was being shamed internationally for being
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  a cheater. Shanahan told PEOPLE.
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  To be known because of a sexual act is one of the most
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  humiliating things. It was utterly debilitating.
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  The New York Times provided further details on Shanahan's
• 6:26
  life, revealing her use of recreational drugs like
• 6:29
  ketamine, cocaine and psychedelic mushrooms at elite
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  Silicon Valley parties. These revelations were based on
• 6:36
  accounts from 8 people and documents reviewed by the
• 6:38
  publication. The strain on Shanahan and
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  Bryn's marriage intensified due to the COVID-19 pandemic and
• 6:45
  their daughter's autism diagnosis.
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  Shanahan began socializing without Brynn, leading to
• 6:50
  increased tension between the couple.
• 6:53
  Despite the denials from both Shanahan and Musk, the reports
• 6:56
  of their alleged affair continued to circulate,
• 6:58
  impacting their personal and professional lives.
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  Brynn's divorce from Shanahan was finalized in May 2023.
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  Shanahan's transition to politics as Robert F Kennedy
• 7:08
  Junior's running mate was unexpected, given her lack of
• 7:11
  public office experience and name recognition.
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  Her selection was partly due to her financial resources, which
• 7:17
  were crucial for Kennedy. Zobrich Virtual Kennedy campaign
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  efforts. Shanahan's fortune, largely from
• 7:23
  her divorce settlement with Brynn, played a significant role
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  in her political involvement. Her wealth, combined with her
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  connections in Silicon Valley, positioned her as a valuable
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  asset to Kennedy's campaign. The allegations of infidelity
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  and drug use have overshadowed Shanahan's professional
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  accomplishments and contributions to philanthropy.
• 7:44
  Her attempts to clear her name and focus on her career have
• 7:47
  been challenged by the ongoing scrutiny.
• 7:50
  Shanahan's story, marked by personal and public challenges,
• 7:53
  continues to unfold as she navigates her new role in the
• 7:56
  political arena. Her experiences reflect the
• 7:58
  complexities of life among the tech industry's elite and the
• 8:02
  impact of public perception on personal relationships.
• 8:11
  Hey, thank you so much for listening today.
• 8:12
  I really do appreciate your support.
• 8:14
  If you could take a second and hit the subscribe or the follow
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• 8:22
  It helps out the show tremendously and you'll never
• 8:25
  miss an episode. And each episode is about 10
• 8:28
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• 8:31
  And please, if you want to support the show even more, go
• 8:34
  to patreon.com/stagezero and please take care of yourselves
• 8:39
  and each other and I'll see you tomorrow.