Singer-songwriter Charlie Puth has publicly called out Elon Musk, the CEO of SpaceX, over concerns about the noise levels from SpaceX rocket launches near his home in Santa Barbara, California. Puth, who is expecting his first child with his wife, Brooke, expressed his worries that the sonic booms are becoming increasingly disruptive and frightening.

In a post on X, Puth directly addressed Musk, stating, "Hi @elonmusk …these sonic booms have gotten progressively louder since they started launching the rockets in Santa Barbara". He elaborated on the impact of a recent launch, which occurred at 3:40 a.m. local time on Wednesday, December 10, noting, "This one at 3am today felt like 150-160 dB, violently shook our whole house, and really frightened my pregnant wife. I hope they do not get louder :/". The launch involved a Falcon 9 rocket carrying 27 Starlink satellites into low-Earth orbit from Vandenberg Space Force Base.

Puth and his wife, Brooke Sansone, revealed they were expecting their first child in October 2025. They shared the news through a music video for Puth's single, "Changes". The couple tied the knot in September 2024 at Puth's family home in Montecito, California.

The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association notes that noises at 140 dB are equivalent to the sound of a firearm discharge and are not safe for any duration, while noises at or above 150 dB are comparable to fireworks at three feet away or a shotgun blast. Kent Gee, a physicist at Brigham Young University, stated in 2024 that sonic booms can sound like "being a few feet away from a gunshot without hearing protection".

SpaceX's website issued a disclaimer that residents in Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, and Ventura counties "may have heard one or more sonic booms during the launch," with the experience varying based on weather and other conditions. This particular launch was the 18th flight for the first stage booster, which had previously supported multiple Starlink missions and other launches. The first stage landed on the "Of Course I Still Love You" droneship stationed in the Pacific Ocean.

Puth's complaint echoes similar concerns from residents living near launch sites in California and Florida. Residents in Florida reported increasing noise levels from rocket launches. The California Coastal Commission has urged the U.S. Space Force to monitor the impact of noise and sonic booms on nearby wildlife.

Neither Elon Musk nor SpaceX has publicly responded to Puth's specific concerns.