Entertainment

Elon Musk threatens defamation lawsuit against Alex Gibney over new documentary

Musk's lawyer claims the upcoming film suggests Starlink satellites swayed the 2024 election.

Updated Sep 10, 2026 · 15:13 UTC2 reports

The short version

Elon Musk's attorney Alex Spiro threatened a defamation lawsuit against Alex Gibney's production company over an upcoming documentary.[NPR]
The dispute involves statements by Ashley St. Clair about Musk's pre-election texts discussing thousands of space lasers, which Spiro alleges the film links to 2024 election interference.[NPR · The Hollywood Reporter]
Election officials and cybersecurity researchers previously debunked claims connecting Starlink to vote tabulation, and neither Musk nor Spiro has seen the film.[NPR · The Hollywood Reporter]

Musk's attorney Alex Spiro warned Alex Gibney's production company of potential defamation litigation before the documentary's release.[NPR · The Hollywood Reporter]
Ashley St. Clair claimed in the documentary that Musk texted her prior to the 2024 presidential election referencing having '10 thousand lasers in space.'[NPR · The Hollywood Reporter]
Spiro's letter alleged that the documentary implies Starlink satellites were used to alter the outcome of the 2024 presidential contest.[NPR · The Hollywood Reporter]
State election officials, cybersecurity researchers, and fact-checkers refuted allegations that Starlink was connected to 2024 vote counting.[NPR · The Hollywood Reporter]
Neither Musk nor his attorney Spiro had viewed the documentary prior to issuing legal warnings.[NPR · The Hollywood Reporter]
Ashley St. Clair called Musk's legal warnings 'a joke' in a public statement.[NPR]

It remains unverified whether Musk will formally file a lawsuit against Gibney or Jigsaw Productions once the film is released.[NPR · The Hollywood Reporter]

Outlet counts describe coverage, not independent confirmation. Reports may share a wire service or original source.