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Vivian Jenna Wilson, the transgender daughter of Tesla’s Elon Musk, called her father cruel, cold, narcissistic, and an absentee parent, in an interview with NBC News.
Wilson’s comments to NBC come days after Musk made a series of claims about her, including that she was “dead” and “killed” after transitioning, which ignited his vow to “destroy the woke mind virus.” Musk also claimed that he was “tricked” into authorizing treatment for her transition when she was 16 and that he lacked “any understanding of what was going on” at the time.
“I think he was under the assumption that I wasn’t going to say anything and I would just let this go unchallenged,” Wilson said. “Which I’m not going to do, because if you’re going to lie about me, like, blatantly to an audience of millions, I’m not just gonna let that slide.”
Wilson told NBC that Musk hadn’t been tricked and that he not only understood what was happening, but that he was well informed about her decision. When she was 16, Wilson said that she had wanted to start treatment for severe gender dysphoria for months, but needed consent from both Musk and her mother, Musk’s first wife, Justine Musk. After divorcing in 2008, they shared joint custody of Wilson and her twin brother.
Wilson said her mother was supportive but Musk wasn’t and required them to meet in person to discuss the treatment. He read the medical forms she provided at least twice, Wilson told NBC, adding that “he was not by any means tricked. He knew the full side effects.”
While speaking with conservative commentator Jordan Peterson on Monday, Musk claimed it was never explained to him that puberty blockers were “actually just sterilization drugs.” Puberty blockers on their own do not affect fertility.
“They save lives. Let’s not get that twisted,” Wilson said of the treatments she used, including puberty blockers and later hormone-replacement therapy. “They definitely allowed me to thrive.”
Wilson also described her experiences growing up with Musk, who was already working on SpaceX and Tesla before she was even 10 years old. She said Musk was rarely present in her life — “maybe, 10% of the time” —and that when he was, Musk was quick to berate her and wasn’t supportive.
“He was cold,” she said. “He’s very quick to anger. He is uncaring and narcissistic.”
When she was a child, Musk would harass her for presenting feminine traits and pushed to her to be more masculine, such as by making her voice deeper.
“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.”
On social media, Musk said he knew she was “gay” from a young age, because at the age of four Wilson loved musical theater and pick out jackets for Musk to wear that she called “fabulous.” Wilson wrote in a social media thread that she “most certainly” did not do what Musk said, adding that he resorted to reducing her “to a happy little stereotype” because Musk wasn’t there to know her as a child.
“I’m legally recognized as a woman in the state of California and I don’t concern myself with the opinions of those who are below me,” Wilson wrote. “Obviously Elon can’t say the same because in a ketamine-fueled haze, he’s desperate for attention and validation from an army of degenerate red-pilled incels and pick-mes who are quick to give it to him.”
In recent years, Musk — once known for his center-left politics — has leaned increasingly into right-wing talking points on everything from diversity initiatives to election fraud and immigration. Earlier this month, the Tesla CEO endorsed the Republican party’s presidential ticket of former president Donald Trump and Ohio Senator J.D. Vance, who are both proponents of the oil industry and against clean energy.
In the past, Musk has been repeatedly accused of engaging in transphobia or promoting anti-trans messaging. He’s also removed X’s protections for trans people, including a ban on deadnames. Earlier this month, he announced that X and SpaceX would leave California over a new bill that bans schools from implementing rules that require parents be notified if their child identifies as transgender and requires the State Department to provide resources to support LGBTQ+ identifying children.
Wilson made it clear to NBC that she hasn’t spoken to Musk in about four years and that she refuses to be defined by him. In 2022, she applied for a name change and a new birth certificate, saying in court documents that she no longer wants to “be related to my biological father in any way, shape or form.”
“I would like to emphasize one thing: I am an adult. I am 20 years old. I am not a child,” Wilson told NBC. “My life should be defined by my own choices.”