Elon Musk has been criticised by many people, but the Tesla CEO has come under fire from his own daughter. Musk’s daughter Vivian, who is transgender, has criticised her father over ‘entirely fake’ claims he made about her and her gender identity on his social media platform X and in an interview with Jordan Peterson. Deadnaming Vivian by referring to her using her birth name, Elon alleged that his daughter was ‘born gay and slightly autistic’ but was ‘not a girl’ and was figuratively 'dead'. The Tesla CEO also claimed that he had been ‘tricked’ into agreeing for her to receive gender-affirming medical treatment when she was 16.
On Threads, a rival app to X, Vivian refuted these claims. In a widely shared thread, she said that Elon’s words were ‘entirely fake’, and added that ‘literally none of this ever happened’. Claiming that her father’s notion that she was gay stemmed from stereotypes, she said, ‘This entire thing is completely made up and there’s a reason for this. He doesn’t know what I was like as a child because he quite simply wasn’t there, and in the little time that he was I was relentlessly harassed for my femininity and queerness.’
Vivian continued, ‘As for if I’m not a woman… sure, Jan. Whatever you say. I’m legally recognised as a woman in the state of California and I don’t concern myself with the opinions of those who are below me.’ She also argued that Elon hadn’t been ‘tricked’ as he read over the documents ‘multiple times’. Speaking in her first ever interview with NBC News, Vivian explained that she was never going to keep silent. ‘I think he was under the assumption that I wasn’t going to say anything and I would just let this go unchallenged,” she said. “Which I’m not going to do, because if you’re going to lie about me blatantly to an audience of millions, I’m not just gonna let that slide.’
Who is Vivian Wilson?
Vivian Wilson is a 20-year-old languages student and one of Elon Musk’s 12 children. She and her twin brother were born to Justine Wilson, who was Elon’s first wife, before the couple divorced in 2008.
What is Vivian's relationship with Elon like?
Before Elon’s recent comments, Vivian had never given a public interview, meaning details of her relationship with her father were few and far between. However, on Thursday 25 July, she gave her first interview to NBC News, where she reiterated that Elon was barely present in her life.
Despite Elon having joint custody, Vivian said that the multi-billionaire left her and her siblings in the care of their mother and would verbally attack her when he was around, including pressuring her to appear more masculine as a child. ‘He was cold,’ she told the news channel. ‘He’s very quick to anger. He is uncaring and narcissistic.’
Two years ago, aged 18, she legally denounced her father. In a court petition asking for her gender identity and name to be changed, she declared, ‘I no longer live with or wish to be related to my biological father in any way, shape or form.’ Now, she says that she hasn’t spoken to Elon in four years.
How many children does Elon Musk have?
Elon Musk is known to have at least three children with three different women. This includes six children with author Justine (Vivian’s mother), three with musician Grimes, and three with his Neuralink executive Shivon Zilis.
Elon has said that he has so many children to counteract low birth rates, and has urged people in developed countries to have more children too.