Gwyneth Paltrow Says Elon Musk and Grimes Finally Dethroned Her for Most Controversial Celebrity Baby Name

Gwyneth Paltrow joked on Instagram that Elon Musk and Grimes dethroned her and Chris Martin for most controversial baby name.

west hollywood, california november 05 gwyneth paltrow attends 1 hotel west hollywood grand opening event at 1 hotel west hollywood on november 05, 2019 in west hollywood, california photo by leon bennettgetty images
(Image credit: Leon Bennett)
  • This week, tech entrepreneur Elon Musk basically broke the internet (opens in new tab) when he explained how to explain the name he and his partner, singer Grimes, chose for their son: X Æ A-12.
  • In an interview on The Joe Rogan Experience podcast (opens in new tab), Musk explained that the X is pronounced like the letter and that Æ is pronounced "Ash."
  • Gwyneth Paltrow, who received plenty of scrutiny in 2004 when she and her then-husband Chris Martin named their firstborn daughter Apple, joked that she had finally been dethroned for the "Most Controversial Baby Name" award.

Today, we've come to expect all things weird and wacky when it comes to celebrity baby names (opens in new tab), but back in 2004 that wasn't yet the case. That's why it was such a worldwide story (and, oftentimes, punchline) when Gwyneth Paltrow (opens in new tab) and Chris Martin (opens in new tab) named their daughter Apple (opens in new tab) that year.

Even as other celebrities seemed to vie for the "Buzziest Baby Name" award, Apple Martin (opens in new tab) continued to reign supreme. No other celebrity baby name seemed capable of getting people talking—and arguing—as much as Gwyneth's firstborn.

Until now, that is. This week, the Elon Musk (opens in new tab) and Grimes broke the internet when they announced that they had named their son X Æ A-12. The name was so out there, Musk even had to take a moment to publicly explain how to pronounce it.

"Well, first of all, it was my partner [Grimes] who actually mostly came up with the name. She's brilliant," he explained in an interview on The Joe Rogan Experience podcast. "So, it's just X, the letter X, and then the Æ is pronounced Ash."

On Friday, InStyle Magazine (opens in new tab) posted about Musk and Grimes' baby name on Instagram and Gwyneth won the comment section, writing, "#chrismartin I think we got beat for most controversial baby name."

A post shared by Comments By Celebs (@commentsbycelebs) (opens in new tab)

A photo posted by on

There are not enough applause emojis to express how perfect that comment is. Well done, Gwyneth (opens in new tab).

For more stories like this, including celebrity news, beauty and fashion advice, savvy political commentary, and fascinating features, sign up for the Marie Claire newsletter.

subscribe here (opens in new tab)

RELATED STORIES

london, united kingdom july 14 embargoed for publication in uk newspapers until 24 hours after create date and time meghan, duchess of sussex and prince harry, duke of sussex attend "the lion king" european premiere at leicester square on july 14, 2019 in london, england photo by max mumbyindigogetty images

(Image credit: Max Mumby/Indigo)
Kayleigh Roberts
Weekend Editor

Kayleigh Roberts is a freelance writer and editor with more than 10 years of professional experience. Her byline has appeared in Marie Claire, Cosmopolitan, ELLE, Harper’s Bazaar, The Atlantic, Allure, Entertainment Weekly, MTV, Bustle, Refinery29, Girls’ Life Magazine, Just Jared, and Tiger Beat, among other publications. She's a graduate of the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University.