Vivian Wilson, the 21-year-old transgender daughter of billionaire Elon Musk, revealed in a recent interview that she is financially struggling despite being the child of the world’s richest man.
Wilson, who publicly cut ties with her father in 2022, disclosed that she shares an apartment with three roommates in Los Angeles because it is more affordable than living alone.
In an interview with The Cut published Tuesday, September 2, Wilson addressed widespread assumptions about her financial situation. “People assume I have a lot of money. I don’t have hundreds of thousands of dollars at my disposal,” she explained, clarifying that despite her father’s estimated $413 billion net worth, she does not have access to his fortune.
Wilson acknowledged that while her mother, novelist Justine Wilson, is financially well-off, her father possesses “unimaginable degrees of wealthy.” However, she emphasized that she has no desire to be superrich and prefers her current living arrangement. She indicated that she can afford food, has friends and shelter, along with some expendable income, which she considers more fortunate than most people her age in Los Angeles.
The eldest of Musk’s 14 children, Wilson legally changed her name and gender in 2022 at age 18, formally removing the Musk surname from her identity. In her court petition, she stated that she no longer wished to be related to her biological father in any way, shape or form. The estrangement deepened in 2024 when Musk gave an interview to Jordan Peterson in which he deadnamed Wilson and claimed she had been “killed by the woke mind virus.”
Wilson came out as transgender at age 16 and described experiencing severe gender dysphoria during that period. She initially went by the name Jenna before settling on Vivian, which she chose after a character in her favorite online first-person-shooter game, Paladins. Her relationship with Musk deteriorated significantly during her transition, with the tech mogul claiming in interviews that he was “tricked” into allowing her to transition.
Reflecting on the public fallout with her father, Wilson noted that the most stereotypical thing about her was having “daddy issues.” She has become increasingly vocal in her criticism of Musk on social media, previously calling him a “pathetic man-child” who has not been accepting of her gender identity. Wilson also addressed Musk’s alleged Nazi salute at a Donald Trump rally prior to the 2024 election, stating that she felt compelled to call the gesture what it was.
Despite her modest financial circumstances, Wilson enjoyed a privileged upbringing. She attended Crossroads in Santa Monica for high school, where she graduated in the same class as Gwyneth Paltrow’s daughter, Apple Martin. She described the school as a “private high school filled with nepo babies” and noted that she was not popular and kept to herself. Wilson did participate in the Queer Student Union, where she first discovered “RuPaul’s Drag Race.”
Wilson’s educational background includes learning multiple languages such as Korean, Chinese, Japanese, and Spanish. She attended college in both Canada and Japan before eventually dropping out, citing artificial intelligence as having ruined her motivation to continue her studies. She now plans to return to college in the fall to study foreign languages, though she acknowledged that college expenses present a significant financial challenge without inheritance or family support.
Recently signed with an agent and featured on the cover of Teen Vogue, Wilson admitted she struggles with her growing fame. She expressed missing the period when she was treated as a regular person, though she acknowledged that fame provides financial benefits. Wilson also addressed viral rumors about possessing a $40 billion trust fund, writing on social media that she does not have any inheritance or trust fund and does not want one.
Wilson’s current lifestyle represents a deliberate choice toward independence, distancing herself from both her father’s enormous wealth and her mother’s financial stability. She emphasized that her modest living situation with roommates provides her with community and helps her maintain a sense of normalcy. The aspiring model continues to build her own path while navigating the complexities of being estranged from one of the world’s most prominent figures.