Who is Elon Musk’s trans daughter Vivian Jenna Wilson?

Elon Musk wearing a suit at a panel

Elon Musk‘s transgender daughter Vivian Jenna Wilson has distanced herself from her father after coming out.

The 53-year-old South African billionaire’s 20-year-old daughter no longer has a relationship with her father and he’s since described her as a “communist who thinks anyone rich is evil.”

The family divide does not seem particularly surprising considering Musk has taken it upon himself to share anti-LGBTQ+ views publicly and on X (Twitter).


Who is Elon Musk’s daughter Vivian Jenna Wilson?

Vivian is the child of Elon and Canadian author Justine Musk, who was married to Elon from 2000 to 2008.

Wilson was born in 2004 with her twin, Griffin, and is the Tesla CEO’s third child. 

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Wilson and Musk’s relationship has clearly been incredibly tense since her coming out clashing with Musk’s views on the LGBTQ+ community. 

Wilson’s mother, however, has been vocal in support of her child.

She posted on X (Twitter), describing a conversation where her daughter said: “I had a weird childhood. I can’t believe I’m as normal-seeming as I am.”

Wilson replied: “I’m very proud of you.” Her 18-year-old daughter then said: “I’m proud of myself!”

Musk is said to have at least 11 children. He had five with Justine.

With “Genesis” hitmaker Grimes, the pair had three children; a son born in May 2020, a daughter born in December 2021 and another son in September 2023.

In October 2023, Grimes sued Musk over parental rights and custody of their eldest son.

Musk also has three children with the director of operations and special projects at Neuralink Shivon Zilis.

Elon Musk on a red carpet with his son X Æ A-XII.
Elon Musk holds he son X Æ A-XII. (Andreas Solaro/Getty)

When did Vivian Jenna Wilson transition?

Reportedly, when Wilson was 16 she came out to her aunt with a message that stated: “Hey, I’m transgender, and my name is now Jenna. Don’t tell my dad.”

At the time, she then severed contact with her father. According to court filings, she did not want to maintain any association to Musk.

Wilson publicly changed her name in 2022 with the statement: “I no longer live with or wish to be related to my biological father in any way, shape or form.”

According to Musk’s biographer, Walter Isaacson, he found out about Wilson’s transition elsewhere. 

In Musk’s biography, Isaacson wrote that he was “generally sanguine” when he first heard the news. However, since then, Musk has expressed his opposition to his daughter. 


Are Elon Musk and Vivian Jenna Wilson estranged?

Musk and Wilson have been estranged since the latter came out.

Isaacson claims that Musk’s venture into right-wing politics “were partly triggered” by Wilson coming out. 

The claim comes with the rift between father and daughter that has bled into public discourse. 

According to Isaacson, Musk claims his daughter “went beyond socialism to being a full communist and thinking that anyone rich is evil” and became a “fervent Marxist” when she decided to remove her connection to him. 

Musk is said to have blamed her schooling for her political views for the rift between them.

Speaking to the Financial Times, Musk claimed that Wilson’s progressive, left-wing California education has led to her refusal to be a part of his life.

Musk believes, according to Isaacson, that X (Twitter) “had become infected by a similar mindset that suppressed right-wing and anti-establishment voices.”

Elon Musk on stage at a panel holding his hand up as he speaks
Elon Musk has been under fire for his handling of X. (Apu Gomes/Getty)

What are Elon Musk’s views on LGBTQ+ issues?

Despite his own family being part of the LGBTQ+ community and claiming to support trans rights, Musk has been public in pushing anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric and in the past has claimed that “pronouns suck”.

Since buying X (Twitter) in October 2022, Musk has been under fire for his disruptive rebranding decisions for after buying the social media platform in October 2022.

With Musk’s takeover, he’s reinstated banned figures on the platform, rolled back protections for trans people, and labelled the word “cis” a heterosexual slur.

On Tuesday (16 July), Musk announced he will move SpaceX and X headquarters California to Texas due to a new Californian state law that bans schools from having to disclose information about a child’s gender identity.

Furthermore, over the weekend, Musk formally endorsed Donald Trump for president.

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