Vivian Jenna Wilson, the 21-year-old daughter of billionaire tech mogul Elon Musk, is making headlines of her own, not for her famous last name, but for stepping out on her own terms.
Speaking at the Teen Vogue 2025 Summit in Los Angeles on Saturday, Wilson opened up about her financial status, her unconventional career journey, and the misconceptions that come with having one of the world’s most recognizable last names.
“I’m financially independent,” Wilson said to applause. “I’m making money now. Pre-Teen Vogue [cover], no. People have a lot of assumptions, and you just kinda have to deal with that.”
Wilson, who publicly came out as transgender in 2022 and legally changed her name to remove all ties to her father, has since carved her own space as a model, performer, and LGBTQ+ figurehead. Her recent work, which includes appearances in fashion editorials, runway shows, and drag performances, has launched her into the cultural spotlight, but not necessarily into wealth.
“I haven’t made any money from being famous”
Despite being the child of the world’s third-richest man, Wilson told Teen Vogue earlier this year that being famous hasn’t brought her riches, or even security.
“I haven’t made any money from being famous at all,” she said in the March cover story. “I have made zero dollars and zero cents. I do live in a lot of people’s heads rent-free, though.”
Rather than rely on the fame or financial power of her estranged father, Wilson has worked to build her own path. She lives with roommates in Los Angeles, she told The Cut earlier this month, and carefully manages her expenses, not exactly the lifestyle many assume when they hear the name “Musk.”
“I don’t have hundreds of thousands of dollars at my disposal,” she explained. “My mom is rich, right? But, obviously, the other one is unimaginable degrees of wealthy.”
Life outside the Musk shadow
Wilson is one of six children Elon Musk shares with Canadian author Justine Wilson, his first wife. The couple divorced in 2008, and Vivian has been estranged from her father for several years.
In 2022, she legally petitioned for a name and gender marker change, writing that she no longer wished “to be related to my biological father in any way.” The legal documents, filed shortly after her 18th birthday, marked a clean break from Musk, a move that was both personal and symbolic.
Since then, Wilson has embraced a new identity, both privately and publicly. Her modeling career began modestly but has gained momentum in recent months with her runway debut, drag performances, and features in high-profile fashion campaigns.
Drag, fashion, and newfound freedom
In May 2025, Wilson made her runway debut at a “RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars” Season 10 event in New York City. Videos of her dramatic entrance and signature hair flip quickly circulated online, showcasing her comfort in the spotlight — and in her body.
The next month, she joined climate activist and drag performer Pattie Gonia’s “Save Her!” drag show in Los Angeles, a performance she described on Instagram as “an absolute dream.” “AHHHH I’m so excited,” she wrote at the time, describing her first time performing in drag.
Her presence in the drag and fashion scenes continued into the fall. In September, Wilson walked the runway at New York Fashion Week during the “Miss USA 1991” show presented by designer Alexis Bittar, where each model represented a U.S. state currently under political fire for its anti-trans legislation. Wilson wore a sash reading “Miss South Carolina.”
“I purposely cast each contestant to represent a US state where trans rights are under assault,” Bittar told Page Six, noting the importance of visibility amid rising anti-trans rhetoric nationwide.
“I don’t want to be super-rich”
Wilson’s ethos stands in sharp contrast to her father’s. Elon Musk, known for his tech empire (Tesla, SpaceX, X/Twitter), has also drawn criticism for his political statements, including sharing anti-trans rhetoric on social media and platforming far-right commentators.
Wilson, by contrast, has embraced a life grounded in creative expression and activism. She told The Cut she has no interest in amassing vast wealth.
“I don’t have a desire to be super-rich,” she said. “I’m much more fortunate than most people my age in Los Angeles.”
That privilege, she acknowledged, comes from having a supportive mother and access to a community of creatives, not from her father’s billions.
Building her own brand
In March, she hinted at her career goals, saying she once considered becoming a Twitch streamer and that it would be her “absolute dream” to join a reality show. “I’m open to it,” she said. “I just want to keep having fun and see where this takes me.”
As a trans woman, a performer, and the daughter of one of the most polarizing figures in tech, Wilson’s journey is unfolding in real-time — and under a microscope. But she remains undeterred.
“People assume a lot,” she said at the Teen Vogue Summit. “And that’s fine. I know who I am. I’m figuring it out, but I’m doing it on my own.”
As she told her audience on Saturday, “I’m making my own money now.” And she’s doing it her way.
