Vivian Jenna Wilson made headlines this week after abruptly walking away from a red carpet interview when a reporter brought up her father, billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk. The incident took place during a Desigual Vintage event in Ibiza, Spain, on Tuesday. Wilson, 22, who has built a growing public profile as a model and activist, was speaking with reporters when the conversation unexpectedly shifted to her famous father.
According to social media footage from the event, a reporter asked Wilson, “Your father the best, no?” Appearing confused, Wilson responded, “My what? Sorry?” The reporter then repeated the question, saying, “The best, your father.”
After a brief pause, Wilson simply replied, “OK,” before ending the interview and walking away from the cameras.
A Family Divide in the Public Eye
The red carpet moment is the latest chapter in a years-long estrangement between Wilson and the Tesla and SpaceX chief executive. Wilson publicly came out as transgender in 2020 and legally changed her name and gender in 2022. As part of the legal process, she formally dropped the Musk surname and stated in court documents that she no longer wished to be related to her biological father “in any way, shape or form.”
Since then, both Wilson and Musk have spoken publicly about their fractured relationship.
During interviews over the past several years, Wilson has repeatedly stated that she has no interest in maintaining a relationship with Musk.
© GC ImagesIn a 2024 interview with NBC News, Wilson said Musk “wasn’t there” during much of her upbringing and alleged that she faced criticism for expressing femininity and queerness as a child. She later reinforced her position on the social media platform Threads, writing that she had disowned Musk, rather than the other way around.
Musk’s Comments on Their Relationship
Musk has also addressed the situation publicly on several occasions. In conversations with biographer Walter Isaacson and psychologist Jordan Peterson, Musk discussed his daughter’s transition and their strained relationship.
© Getty ImagesIn a widely discussed 2024 interview, Musk referred to Wilson by her former name and claimed he had been misled into signing documents connected to her gender transition. His comments generated significant backlash from LGBTQ+ advocates and further intensified public scrutiny surrounding the family dispute.
More recently, Wilson has spoken about what it was like growing up as the child of one of the world’s wealthiest individuals. In an April interview with Cosmopolitan, she described her childhood as “isolating” and “strange,” reflecting on the disconnect she felt while witnessing social inequality from a position of immense privilege.
Wilson is among Musk’s oldest children. She and her twin brother, Griffin, were born in California in 2004 during Musk’s marriage to author Justine Wilson.
© Getty ImagesOver the years, Musk has fathered of 14 children with multiple partners, including musician Grimes, Neuralink executive Shivon Zilis, and influencer Ashley St. Clair.
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