Kevin O' Leary Says People Are Waiting Longer To Have Kids Due To Cost Of Living, But 'Elon Musk Is Making Up For The Rest Of Us' With 14 Kids

Having kids used to be something people did in their 20s. Now, it's starting to look more like a midlife milestone.

For the first time ever, more Americans over 40 are giving birth than teenagers. The average age for first-time mothers has hit a record high of 27.5, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and experts say cost is a big reason people are putting off parenthood. But Kevin O'Leary thinks that delay may come with regret — and says Elon Musk is doing what most Americans aren't.

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O'Leary posted a message on X that was part reflection, part economic reality check. "The reason people don't have kids earlier is they're expensive," he wrote. "This is kind of an issue around the cost of living and the price of education. So we've got a few things to fix."

Attached to the post was a clip from a recent Fox News segment. In it, O'Leary was asked about President Donald Trump's pitch for baby bonuses and a New York Times headline that said the idea was to "persuade women to have kids." His response? "It's interesting," he said. "I think Elon is doing a great job making up for the rest of us. I think he's on kid 14 now."

He doubled down in the clip: "At the end of the day, the reason people don't have kids here — they're expensive." O'Leary pointed to the cost of education, housing, and childcare, calling it a system that's not optimized for young families.

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He also tied the issue to broader global concerns, noting that even countries like China have struggled with population planning. "Even the Chinese for a while started to think, ‘Wait a second, how do we feed all these people?' And it goes back to the tariff wars."

But the most personal part came when O'Leary turned inward. "We are in a very interesting situation now because people are waiting longer," he said. "And what you learn in life, which is kind of crazy, is when you get older, you realize you wish you had your kids earlier."

"Family is the best thing you can get in America," he said. "If I could go back in time, I would have had them a decade earlier."

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The stats echo the trend: births to teens in the U.S. have dropped 78% since 1991, while births to people over 40 have steadily climbed, according to Pew Research. Fertility treatments and financial planning may play a role, but many simply feel they can't afford kids in their 20s.

Still, O'Leary's message cuts through the economic fog: if you wait until everything is "affordable," you might be waiting forever. And while Musk's massive family may not be for everyone, O'Leary's point is clear — delayed parenthood may make financial sense, but it comes at a personal cost.

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