Versha Sharma, editor-in-chief of Teen Vogue, said he began paying close attention to Vivian Jenna Wilson, Elon and Justin Musk's 20-year-old daughter, during the presidential election last fall.
“The more we learn about her from watching her tiktok and following her online, the more we realised she has a way of cutting the noise with a really powerful, funny and hilarious voice and humor,” Sharma said in a phone interview Friday.
Author and comedian Ella Yerman was able to set up an interview with Wilson, leading to Teen Vogue's first signature, which landed on the cover of the special issue. The interview quickly spread as soon as social media was released on Thursday.
In the interview, Ms. Wilson, a trans woman, discussed various topics, including whether she is famous (“I don't like saying she's famous because I want to do something to deserve that fame”), her relationship with social media (“I'm the queen of threads”), and her family (“I don't know any siblings who actually have siblings”).
However, it was her detailed discussion of her father that quickly blew the internet into the air as soon as the work was published. She tackled the debate over his hand gestures at President Trump's first event in January, saying, “Honey, we're going to call figs figs. We're going to call them Nazi salutes.” She emphasized that she's financially independent, saying she's not associated with Musk since 2020. She said he “is not as supportive as my mother” as she moved and started taking testosterone blockers. And she said she was not afraid to oppose him despite his wealth and influence.
“People thrive from fear,” she said. “I have not given any of that space in my heart.”
Musk, who did not respond to requests for comment, did not publicly address the interview.
Sharma said her editorial team is aware of the potential issues of publishing stories critical of the world's wealthiest man, saying, “We thought there would be some kind of reaction, but we really wanted this story to be led by Vivienne and focused on who she is beyond just her daughter.”
The interview took place on Zoom, and Wilson spoke from Japan. It had something to do with Mr. Yerman and the Teen Vogue team talking to Mr. Wilson several times over the course of several months. To illustrate the interview, Teen Vogue arranged a photo shoot in Tokyo with photographer Andy Jackson. He took inspiration from the film Lost in Translation and a variety of adult themes related to the girls.
“It's always been bold, colorful, teenage vogue shoots, capturing moving subjects and trying to show what life really looks like for teenagers and young people today,” Sharma said. “Of course, Vivienne is a very unique 20-year-old, but she's 20, so she was happy to capture her and her surroundings.”
The interview is casual, with Wilson discussing her interests and future ambitions, and with Musk's discussions serious.
Wilson, who refused to respond to requests for further comment, is not alone among Musk's family members. Grimes, a pop star with whom he has three children, took X on a daily basis to raise the issue. And Musk's father, Errol Musk, publicly asked Musk's parenting ability in a podcast interview before telling the New York Times that “the press takes things out of context” and that he and his son have a great relationship.
But Wilson said that Teen Vogue was just her second interview, and her first interview was on NBC last year — offered a unique perspective on Musk's political activities, including attacks on the trans community. In an interview with Jordan Peterson last year, Musk said Wilson, whom he called his son, was “dead – killed by a woken mind virus.”
Wilson said in an interview with Teen Vogue that Musk's politics had shifted to the right, but she stressed that she felt it wasn't a major departure from his previous beliefs and that she believes being trans is not part of the change.
“He's going further to the right. I'm going to use the word 'plus' – make sure you put 'plus' there – it's not my fault,” she said. “That's insane.”
Addressing the trance issue was a priority for Sharma.
“We want to be a resource for trans young people and other marginalized young people who feel they've somehow been targeted,” she said. “We see an escalation of attacks on access to healthcare and other fundamental rights. Just basic identity.”
But both she and Yulman said they wanted to show Wilson in a much wider light.
“The interviews are light in a way that makes you laugh, because that's the kind of person she is,” Sharma said of Wilson. “And she's a very online 20 year old, regardless of who her parents are. And I think it's coming.”
Yurman said he said he was talking to Wilson via email.
“I hope that readers will take Vivian away from being human just like everyone else,” she said. “I think trans people these days, and even prominent trans people, will be focusing so much on transness.
