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In a July 2024 interview with Jordan Peterson, Elon Musk said he had been “tricked” into approving gender-affirming care for his daughter, Vivian Jenna Wilson, and described her as “dead — killed by the woke mind virus.” Wilson disputed his account, saying he knew the treatment’s side effects and had been largely absent from her childhood. Those are opposing accounts of private family and medical history, not settled findings.
What Musk said in the Jordan Peterson interview
The Washington Post reported on July 26, 2024, that Musk discussed Wilson’s transition and gender-affirming care in an interview with Jordan Peterson. Musk said Wilson was 16 when he approved care and claimed he had been “tricked” into doing so. He also used the phrase “child mutilation and sterilization” for treatments she received, according to the Post.
In remarks quoted by Fortune from the interview, Musk said: “I lost my son, essentially,” and continued, “They call it ‘deadnaming’ for a reason. The reason they call it ‘deadnaming’ is because your son is dead.” He referred to Wilson as “dead — killed by the woke mind virus.” These were Musk’s descriptions of his daughter and the care she received.
How Vivian Wilson responded
Wilson gave her first public interview about the dispute to NBC News. Fortune reported on July 26 that she rejected Musk’s claim that he had been tricked: “He was not by any means tricked. He knew the full side effects.” That is Wilson’s account of the approval process; the public reports do not resolve the disagreement over what Musk knew or how the decision was made.
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Wilson also disputed Musk’s characterization of their relationship and her childhood. As quoted by The Washington Post, she said: “He doesn’t know what I was like as a child because he quite simply wasn’t there.” She told NBC News that Musk was largely absent and, when present, harassed her for her femininity and queerness. These are Wilson’s descriptions of her experience.
What is known about their estrangement
The Washington Post reported that Wilson filed a petition in California Superior Court in April 2022 to change her name and stated that she no longer wished to be related to her biological father. That is what the Post reported about the petition; it is separate from either person’s account of the family relationship.
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Fortune reported that Wilson told NBC News she had not spoken with Musk in nearly four years. The length of estrangement in that account is Wilson’s statement, not an independently established timeline in the reporting.
How advocates responded
The Washington Post quoted Human Rights Campaign senior press secretary Jared Todd criticizing Musk’s remarks: “In a world where Musk could use his public status for good, he chooses to use trans youth as a scapegoat.” This was an advocacy response from the HRC spokesperson, not an official finding about the disputed family or medical history.
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The immediate public dispute followed Musk’s July 2024 interview and Wilson’s subsequent public response, including her NBC News interview. The Washington Post and Fortune reported the statements and relevant context, but their accounts do not independently settle the private history between father and daughter or the details of medical decision-making. Musk’s allegations and Wilson’s rebuttal should therefore be understood as attributed, conflicting accounts.
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