Elon Musk’s relationship with his children has always been complicated, but his bond with his daughter Vivian Jenna Wilson appears particularly fraught. The 20-year-old, who is transgender, recently spoke out about the strained relationship, attributing much of the rift to Musk’s increasingly transphobic remarks. In a rare interview with NBC News, Wilson revealed that her father harassed her for expressing queer and feminine traits as a child, causing a deep divide between them.
Wilson, one of Musk’s children with his first wife, Justine Wilson, has been estranged from her father for several years. In 2022, when she turned 18, she petitioned to legally change her name, citing “gender identity and the fact that I no longer wish to be related to my biological father in any way, shape, or form.”
Vivian Jenna Wilson speaks out on her estranged relationship with Elon Musk, attributing their rift to his transphobic remarks and behavior
Musk, in a later interview with the Financial Times, attributed their fallout to what he described as a takeover of elite schools by neo-Marxists, which he believes instills a “rich equals evil” mentality. Reflecting on his other children, Musk remarked, “I have great relationships with all the others. You can’t win them all.”
The public feud reignited in mid-July when Musk appeared on an alt-right podcast with Jordan Peterson, where he discussed the so-called dangers of gender-affirming care. He referred to Wilson by her deadname, claiming he had been “tricked” into signing consent forms for her treatment, and lamented, “I lost my son… Xavier is dead, killed by the woke-mind virus.” Musk later doubled down on X (formerly Twitter), suggesting that Wilson’s gender dysphoria was due to being “born gay and slightly autistic.”
Wilson responded assertively on Threads, denouncing Musk’s narrative as “entirely fake” and accusing him of fabricating stories about her childhood. She described him as “cold,” “narcissistic,” and “cruel,” recounting instances where he pressured her to appear more masculine and berated her for her feminine voice.
According to Wilson, she was struggling with severe gender dysphoria at 16 and approached Musk for consent to begin gender-affirming treatment. She insists that Musk was not “tricked” into signing anything and credits puberty blockers and hormone therapy with allowing her to thrive.
In a subsequent series of posts on Threads, Wilson continued to challenge Musk, accusing him of trying to rebuild his image as a “caring paternal father,” which she vehemently disputes. She criticized him for his alleged affairs, discriminatory behavior, and insincere commitment to climate change and space exploration, even drawing comparisons to the CEO character in Ready Player One.
While Musk has yet to respond to Wilson’s accusations, Grimes, his on-and-off partner and mother of three of his children, expressed her support for Wilson on X, stating, “I love and am forever endlessly proud of Vivian.”
