Elon Musk is rarely out of the news these days, which means neither is his family. His daughter, Vivian Wilson, has been critical of her father following Donald Trump's election win. Most recently, Vivian, who is one of the reported 14 children Elon Musk has, told Teen Vogue that she doesn't know how many siblings she has. 'I will say I do not actually know how many siblings I have, if you include half-siblings,' she said. 'That's just a fun fact.'
But while Vivian, 20, has an estranged relationship from her father, how close is she to her mother, Justine Wilson? Elon and Justine divorced in 2008, and ever since then she's chosen to keep a relatively low profile...
Who is Justine Wilson?
Justine Wilson is Elon Musk's ex-wife. Justine was born in Canada and spent most of her life there, obtaining a degree in English Literature from the University Of Ontario. She works as a fantasy author, and despite her very high-profile ex-husband, Justine prefers to stay out of the public eye.
How did Justine Wilson meet Elon Musk?
Justine and Elon met while studying at Queen's University in Ontario, Canada. At the time, Wilson was a freshman and Musk was a sophomore. In a 2010 essay published in Marie Claire, Justine outlined the moment she met Elon for the first time. 'A fellow student a year ahead of me, he was a clean-cut, upper-class boy with a South African accent who appeared in front of me one afternoon as I was leaping up the steps to my dorm. He said we'd met at a party I knew I hadn't been to. (Years later, he would confess that he had noticed me from across the common room and decided he wanted to meet me.),' she wrote.
In the essay, titled 'Inside America's Messiest Divorce', Justine also revealed that she turned Elon down when he asked her out. '[He invited me out for ice cream. I said yes, but then blew him off with a note on my dorm-room door,' she wrote. 'Several hours later, my head bent over my Spanish text in an overheated room in the student center, I heard a polite cough behind me. Elon was smiling awkwardly, two chocolate-chip ice cream cones dripping down his hands. He's not a man who takes no for an answer.'
Elon and Justine were married between 2000 and 2008, and went on to have six children together: Nevada Alexander (who passed away as a baby), Vivian Jenna, Griffin, Kai, Saxon and Damian.
Why did Elon Musk and Justine Wilson divorce?
As Elon became more well known as a businessman, their relationship started to decline. In the essay, Justine outlined how, during their wedding reception in January 2000, Musk announced, 'I am the alpha in this relationship.' He also notably told her 'If you were my employee, I would fire you.'
Reflecting on the breakdown of their marriage, Justine wrote 'I barely recognized myself,' continuing 'I had turned into a trophy wife—and I sucked at it. I wasn’t detail-oriented enough to maintain a perfect house or be a perfect hostess. I could no longer hide my boredom when the men talked and the women smiled and listened.'
She says the catalyst for their divorce came after a car crash. 'My first thought wasn't, 'Thank God nobody's hurt'. It was, 'My husband is going to kill me'. And in my mind's eye, I could suddenly see myself: a woman who'd gotten very thin, and very blonde, stumbling out of a very expensive car with the front-left wheel smashed in,' she wrote. Justine shares custody of their five children with Elon.
What is Justine Wilson's relationship with Talulah Riley?
Elon Musk started dating Talulah Riley in 2008, shortly after his divorce with Justine. In the Marie Claire, essay, Justine outlined how she unexpectedly became friends with Talulah. 'Throughout the divorce proceedings, his fiancée and I discovered we liked each other,' she wrote. 'She is, by all accounts, a lovely, bright, and very young person, and better fitted to my ex-husband's lifestyle and personality than I ever was.'
Reflecting on the turbulent marriage, Justine wrote that she regrets how things with Elon played out. 'I've worked through some anger, both at Elon for rendering me so disposable, and at myself for buying into a fairy tale when I should have known better,' she wrote.
What has Vivian Wilson said about Justine Wilson?
Vivian is estranged from Elon, but has a close relationship with her mother. Speaking about her transition journey in an interview with NBC news, Vivian said Justine is 'very supportive,' adding 'I love her a lot.'
Elon has been less supportive about Vivian's identity. In a Daily Wire interview with psychologist Jordan Peterson, Elon said 'I lost my son, essentially,' adding that she was 'dead, killed by the woke mind virus.'