Elon Musk’s estranged daughter, Vivian Jenna Wilson, 21, dug into her father’s shift into right-wing culture and politics on Thursday while opening up about how she coped with him denouncing her.
Wilson appeared on Thursday’s episode of drag star Maddy Morphosis’s show “Give It to Me Straight,” where she was jokingly introduced as a “victim of the woke mind virus,” a reference to a comment made by the Tesla CEO earlier this year.
Later, the host called Wilson “the estranged daughter of Elon Musk,” prompting Wilson to respond, “Who’s that?”
“Uh, some government person. I don’t know,” Morphosis said.
“Not anymore,” Wilson said, alluding to her father’s short-lived role as President Donald Trump’s “special government employee.”
Wilson opened up to Morphosis about how she felt last year when her father said she was dead to him during an interview with right-winger Jordan Peterson. Musk told Peterson his “son” was “dead” and “killed by the woke mind virus,” claiming he was “tricked” into signing documents for Wilson’s gender-affirming care.
“I look at my phone and I’m like, ‘Wow, wow,’” Wilson told Morphosis. She later confirmed that Musk did approve her for puberty blockers and “can’t tell the story of how that happened.
“That’s one of the greatest mysteries of our time,” Wilson added.
Wilson told Morphosis she was in Tokyo when the Peterson interview came out, and went to a convenience store to grab a gin and tonic after seeing what Musk said.
“I actually got really good at [Nintendo game] ‘Smash Brothers’ that day because to distract myself, I was very drunk,” Wilson said. “Don’t do that. Don’t. Not a good coping mechanism.”
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According to Wilson, her father’s shift into conservatism happened long before his interview with Peterson. She referenced a section in Musk’s biography, written by Walter Isaacson, that suggested that he became more vocal about trans issues following Wilson’s transition in 2022.
“There was like an extensive bit about me basically being like, ‘This is the reason for his tragic villain backstory origin,’” Wilson said. “He was like this before. Don’t blame me. It’s not my fault.”