In her first interview, Vivian Jenna Wilson spoke out about her father, Elon Musk, calling him a “cruel” and absent father, who was also “uncaring and narcissistic.” This comes days after Musk said his son Xavier, now his transgender daughter, is “dead” to him.
Vivian, who identifies as queer and feminine, told NBC News about her difficult childhood with Musk. She refuted Musk’s claim that he was “tricked into authorizing trans-related medical treatment” for her at age 16.
Musk’s transgender daughter stated that her father initially hesitated but eventually understood her decision when he agreed to her treatment. This type of medical treatment requires parental consent.
On Monday, Elon Musk posted on social media and in an online interview that Vivian was “not a girl” and figuratively “dead,” claiming his son Xavier was “killed by the woke mind virus.”
“Xavier was born gay and slightly autistic,” Musk says of his transgender daughter
In a post on X, Musk used Vivian’s birth name and said: “Xavier was born gay and slightly autistic, two attributes that contribute to gender dysphoria. I knew that from when he was about 4 years old, and he would pick out clothes for me to wear, like a jacket and tell me it was “fabulous!” as well as his love of musicals & theatre. But he was not a girl.”
The 20-year-old told NBC News that Musk’s comments crossed a line. She believes he thought she would stay quiet and not respond.
“Which I’m not going to do,” she said, “because if you’re going to lie about me, like, blatantly to an audience of millions, I’m not just gonna let that slide.”
Vivian Jenna Wilson, Elon Musk's transgender daughter, told NBC News that Musk was a "cruel" father. Following his remarks about her identity, she refuted his claim that he was "tricked" into approving her transgender-related medical treatment, saying he knew what he was doing.… pic.twitter.com/a1LAnbBuPh
— Yahoo News (@YahooNews) July 26, 2024
In a phone interview with NBC News, Vivian said Musk was not a supportive father and was rarely around. When he was present, he often criticized her.
Vivian and her twin brother were born to Musk’s first wife, Canadian author Justine Musk. The couple divorced in 2008, and Vivian said her parents shared custody of the children.
Vivian also explained that even with joint custody, her mother or nannies mostly took care of her and her siblings.
“He was cold. He’s very quick to anger. He is uncaring and narcissistic,” she said.
Musk’s constant yelling at Vivian
Vivian shared that, as a boy, Musk pressured him to act more masculine and criticized him for showing feminine traits. He even urged him to deepen his voice when he was in elementary school.
“I was in fourth grade. We went on this road trip that I didn’t know was actually just an advertisement for one of the cars—I don’t remember which one—and he was constantly yelling at me viciously because my voice was too high,” she said. “It was cruel.”
