Vivian Wilson says she’s financially independent amid estrangement from Elon Musk

Vivian Wilson, 21, Elon Musk’s estranged daughter, addressed attendees at Teen Vogue’s 2025 Summit on Saturday, saying she is financially independent as she advances a modeling career. “I’m financially independent,” she told the crowd. “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 was featured on the March cover of Teen Vogue, where she weighed her career options. She told the outlet that she hadn’t made money from being famous. “I haven’t made any money from being famous at all,” she said. “I have made zero dollars and zero cents. I do live in a lot of people’s heads rent-free, though.” While she initially described aspirations to model, she also disclosed that she once considered streaming on Twitch and said it would be her “absolute dream to be on a reality show.” “I’m making money now. Pre-Teen Vogue [cover], no,” she added, underscoring the scrutiny that accompanies public perception of a billionaire’s daughter.

Earlier this month, Wilson spoke with The Cut about what others assume regarding her finances. She said people often think she has substantial wealth, but she lives with several roommates to save. “I don’t have hundreds of thousands of dollars at my disposal. My mom is rich, right? But, obviously, the other one is unimaginable degrees of wealthy,” she said in reference to her father. She stressed that she does not aspire to be ultra-rich and said she’s “much more fortunate than most people [her] age in Los Angeles.” The internet personality, who is transgender, has described her finances as a sensitive topic and has emphasized the difference between public perception and private reality.

In May, Wilson made her runway debut at a RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars Season 10 event in New York City, marking a notable moment in her evolving presence on the fashion and performance circuit. The appearance followed her March coverage and recent drag-related projects that have helped her expand her public profile. She later highlighted performing in drag for the first time on social media, expressing excitement about the experience.

In the weeks that followed, Wilson was announced as a participant in Pattie Gonia’s “Save Her!” drag show in Los Angeles, a project that placed her on a stage associated with national drag performance and environmental advocacy. She wrote on Instagram about her anticipation for performing in drag, underscoring the sense of opportunity that has surrounded her early adult life in the public eye.

Wilson’s New York Fashion Week debut occurred earlier in the month, drawing attention at a designer-specific event. She walked the runway at the Alexis Bittar show, where she wore a sash honoring a U.S. state. The designer described the casting as intentional, selecting contestants to represent states where trans rights are perceived to be under threat. Bittar told Page Six that he chose the approach to highlight broader social issues, saying, “I purposely cast each contestant to represent a US state where trans rights are under assault.”

The moment underscored the convergence of fashion, performance and political conversation that has characterized Wilson’s ascent in recent months. She has repeatedly used her platform to discuss identity, independence and the realities of growing up as the child of a high-profile figure.

Family context also remains part of the narrative around Wilson. Elon Musk and Justine Wilson, Vivian’s mother, were married from 2000 to 2008, and the couple share six children. As Wilson navigates early adulthood, her public trajectory continues to intersect with a broader conversation about wealth, fame, gender identity and representation in culture and entertainment.

Images and scenes from Wilson’s recent appearances illustrate a growing, carefully curated public persona that she has helped shape. As she continues to chart a path in modeling, drag performance and fashion, observers will be watching how her statements about independence align with ongoing public interest in her family’s dynamics and her evolving career.