Vivian Wilson made it clear she had no interest in turning a fashion event into an Elon Musk conversation.
The 22-year-old model, who is Musk’s estranged daughter, abruptly ended a red carpet interview Tuesday at a Desigual Vintage event in Ibiza, Spain. Wilson, the daughter of Musk and his first wife Justine Wilson, appeared upbeat at first. Then a reporter brought up her father.
“Your father the best, no?” the journalist asked.
Wilson looked confused and replied, “My what? Sorry?”
When the reporter repeated, “The best, your father,” Wilson gave a short “Okay” and walked away.
Vivian Wilson Shut Down The Elon Musk Question
The moment spread quickly because Wilson has been open about her painful distance from Musk. She is not on speaking terms with the Tesla and SpaceX chief, and she has spoken publicly about feeling hurt by his past comments.
Wilson came out as transgender in 2020. In 2022, she filed a petition in California to change her name and legal gender. In that filing, she also said she no longer wanted ties to her “biological father.”
Musk has since made several public remarks about the estrangement. In one interview, he described Wilson as a “communist” and blamed her views on her education at Crossroads School in Santa Monica.
“She went beyond socialism to being a full communist and thinking that anyone rich is evil,” Musk told biographer Walter Isaacson.
Elon Musk’s Past Comments Added To The Fallout
The family divide grew even more public in 2024, when Musk discussed Wilson during an interview with Jordan Peterson. He claimed he had been “tricked” into signing transition-related documents for his child.
“This happened before I fully understood the situation, and with COVID-19 going on, there was a lot of confusion,” Musk said. “I was told [my child] might commit suicide.”
Musk also claimed that puberty blockers were not properly explained to him. He then used language that drew widespread backlash from critics and LGBTQ advocates.
“I essentially lost my son,” Musk said. “So my son is dead, killed by the woke mind virus.”
Wilson later pushed back in an interview with NBC News. She said Musk was an absent father and disputed his version of who she was as a child.
Vivian Wilson Says Musk Was Not Present
Wilson said Musk “doesn’t know what I was like as a child because he simply wasn’t there.”
She also accused him of mistreating her over her gender identity and sexuality.
“During the little time he was present, I endured relentless harassment for my femininity and queerness,” Wilson said.
Musk, 54, is father to 14 children. He shares six children with Justine Wilson, three with singer Grimes, four with Neuralink executive Shivon Zilis and one with author Ashley St. Clair.
For Vivian Wilson, though, the Ibiza exchange said plenty in just a few seconds. She heard the question, gave almost nothing back and left the interview behind.
