Vivienne Jenna Wilson, the 21-year-old daughter of billionaire tech magnate Elon Musk, has made her own headlines to step into her own terms, not her famous surname.
Talk in Teen Vogue 2025 Summit In Los Angeles on Saturday, Wilson was opened up about her financial situation, her unconventional career journey, and the misconceptions that come with having one of the world’s most recognizable surnames.
“I’m financially independent,” Wilson applauded. “I’m making money now.Teen Vogue [cover]no. People have a lot of assumptions and you have to deal with it a bit. ”
Wilson, who was published as a transgender person in 2022 and legally changed her name to remove all her relationship with her father, has carved out her space as a model, performer and LGBTQ+ figure. Her recent work, including appearances in fashion editorials, runway shows and drug performances, has led her to the cultural spotlight, but not necessarily to wealth.
“I’m not making any money because I’m famous.”
Despite being the third richest male child in the world, Wilson said Teen Vogue Earlier this year, being famous didn’t even bring her wealth or safety.
“I’m not making any money from being famous at all,” she said in a March cover story. “I make zero dollars and zero cents. I live in the minds of many people without rent.”
Rather than relying on the fame and financial strength of his estranged father, Wilson has worked to build his own path. She lives in Los Angeles with her roommate, she said. cut Earlier this month, I will carefully manage her expenses. It’s not a lot of lifestyle when you hear the name “mask.”
“I don’t have hundreds of thousands of dollars at my disposal,” she explained. “My mother is rich, right? But obviously the other is unimaginable.”
Life outside the shadow of musk
Wilson is one of six children shared by his first wife, Canadian writers Justin Wilson and Elon Musk. The couple divorced in 2008, and Vivian has been alienated by his father for several years.
In 2022, she petitioned legally for a change in name and gender markers, writing, “I don’t want to be involved in any way with my biological father.” Legal documents filed shortly after her 18th birthday marked a clean break from the mask. This is a personal and symbolic move.
Since then, Wilson has embraced a new identity, both personally and publicly. Her modeling career began modestly, but she gained momentum over the past few months with her runway debut, drug performance and featured high-profile fashion campaigns.
Drugs, fashion, and new freedoms
In May 2025, Wilson made his runway debut in the “Rupal’s Drag Race All Stars” season 10 event in New York City. Her dramatic entrance and distinctive hair videos quickly circulate online and showcase her comfort in the spotlight, and into her body.
The following month, she joined the climate activist, a drug performer Patty Gonia’s “Save Her!” Drug Show in Los Angeles, a performance she described on Instagram as “an absolute dream.” “Yeah, I’m so excited,” she wrote at the time, explaining that she had been playing drugs for the first time.
Her presence in the drug and fashion scenes continued in autumn. In September, Wilson walked the runway at New York Fashion Week during the “Miss USA 1991” show announced by designer Alexis Bitter. Each model represented the United States, which is currently exposed to political fires due to anti-trans laws. Wilson wore a sash that read “Miss South Carolina.”
“I purposely cast each contestant to represent a US state where trance rights are being assaulted,” Bitter said. Page 6focusing on the importance of vision amid the rise in anti-trans rhetoric nationwide.
“I don’t want to be very rich.”
Wilson’s spirit stands in contrast to his father’s spirit. Elon Musk, known for his tech empire (Tesla, SpaceX, X/Twitter), has garnered criticism for his political statements, including sharing anti-trans rhetoric on social media and platforming far-right commentators.
In contrast, Wilson has embraced a life based on creative expression and activity. She said cut She is not interested in accumulating vast wealth.
“I have no desire to be very rich,” she said. “I’m far more fortunate than most people of my age in Los Angeles.”
She says that privilege comes from having access to a supportive mother and creative community, not the billions of her father.
Build her own brand
In March, she hinted at her career goals, thinking about becoming a former Twitch Streamer and saying that attending a reality show would be her “absolute dream.” “I’m open to it,” she said. “I just want to have fun and see where this takes me.”
As a trans woman, performer, and daughter of one of the most polarizing figures in technology, Wilson’s journey unfolds in real time and under a microscope. But she remains undoubtedly.
“People assume a lot,” she said. Teen Vogue Summit. “That’s fine. I know who I am. I’m thinking about it, but I’m doing it myself.”
As she told the audience on Saturday, “I’m making my money now,” and she’s doing that in her way.
Source: Gayety – gayety.com
