Vivian Jenna Wilson, the 21-year-old daughter of billionaire Elon Musk, has offered a rare and surprising glimpse into her life, revealing in a new interview that she lives a modest lifestyle, independent of her father’s staggering wealth. In a candid conversation with The Cut, Wilson detailed her financial reality, her aspirations, and the profound personal choices that have defined her journey away from the Musk dynasty.
In the interview, Wilson directly addressed the common misconception that she benefits from her father’s fortune, estimated to be in the hundreds of billions. “People assume I have a lot of money. I don’t have hundreds of thousands of dollars at my disposal,” she stated, drawing a clear line between her life and the “unimaginable degrees of wealthy” status of her father. Instead, she described a life that is relatable to many young adults in expensive cities like Los Angeles. “I live with three roommates because it’s cheaper,” she explained.
Far from lamenting her situation, Wilson expressed a sense of contentment and perspective. “I can afford food. I have friends, a shelter, and some expendable income, which is nice and much more fortunate than most people my age in Los Angeles,” she said. This grounded outlook is coupled with a clear disinterest in the lavish lifestyle associated with her father. “I don’t have a desire to be super rich,” she added, signaling a deliberate choice to pursue a different set of values. Her future plans include returning to college, a goal complicated by the very real barrier of tuition costs. “College is expensive,” she admitted, adding pointedly, “I don’t have that inheritance.”
Wilson’s financial independence is deeply intertwined with her personal and public estrangement from Elon Musk. This rift became starkly public in 2022 when, shortly after her 18th birthday, she filed a legal petition to change her name and gender. Born Xavier Alexander Musk, she sought to be legally recognized as Vivian Jenna Wilson, adopting the maiden name of her mother, author Justine Wilson. The reason cited in the court filing was unequivocal: “Gender Identity and the fact that I no longer live with or wish to be related to my biological father in any way, shape or form.”
The legal separation marked a culmination of deep-seated ideological and personal differences. Elon Musk, who has 11 known children, has publicly commented on the fractured relationship. In interviews and excerpts from his 2023 biography by Walter Isaacson, Musk claimed he was “tricked” into approving documents for her gender-affirming care and attributed her transition to a “woke mind virus” he believes she contracted at her progressive California school. “I lost my son, essentially,” he stated, referring to Vivian by her birth name and gender, a practice known as deadnaming.
Vivian has not shied away from responding to her father’s public statements. In a previous interview with Teen Vogue earlier this year, she described the Tesla and SpaceX CEO as a “pathetic manchild,” offering a sharp rebuke to his narrative and solidifying the image of a young woman determined to control her own story. Her latest interview with The Cut further cements this image, portraying an individual focused not on the wealth she could have inherited, but on the authentic life she is actively building for herself, on her own terms.
As Vivian Jenna Wilson continues to navigate her future, her story stands as a powerful statement on identity, independence, and the choice to define oneself outside the long shadow of an exceedingly famous and controversial parent. She is forging a path where personal fulfillment and authentic relationships are valued more than any nine-figure bank account.
