Celebrity5 min(s) read
Tensions surrounding Elon Musk are mounting as his own daughter has taken a swipe at the tech billionaire in a new ad campaign.
His 22-year-old daughter, Vivian Jenna Wilson, and his former partner, Ashley St Clair, have offered candid reflections that challenge the billionaire's public image.
Their public statements coincide with the premiere of filmmaker Alex Gibney's four-hour documentary, titled Musk, at the Venice Film Festival.
The project undertakes an examination of the billionaire's personal and professional relationships, giving a platform to multiple former partners and family members.
Musk himself declined participation in the project, writing off the filmmaker as a "douchebag" on X, while stating that he was "obviously going to make the most convincingly terrible hit piece on me that he can possibly think of."
Gibney, however, maintained that he approached the subject as a former admirer before researching the material, stating to AP News, "Then you start digging into the facts and you follow them where they lead."
The film presents a rare window into the personal conflicts that mirror the public debates surrounding the tech mogul. As family members step into the spotlight, the friction between Musk and those closest to him has become impossible to ignore.
Vivian Jenna Wilson has taken her personal stance into the realm of creative expression. Starring in a new fashion campaign for Spanish brand Desigual titled Born to Disobey, the transgender model appears alongside a humanoid machine reminiscent of Tesla's Optimus.
In the campaign visuals, Wilson puts the device through a series of absurd tasks before declaring, "Some things aren't meant to be fixed."
The creative project reflects a long-standing personal division. Their relationship deteriorated after Wilson began her gender transition in 2020 at age 16.
Musk publicly claimed, "My son, Xavier, died. He was killed by the woke mind virus. Now, the woke mind virus will die."
Two years later, Wilson legally changed her name and severed ties, stating she no longer wished to be related to him "in any way, shape, or form."
Although Walter Isaacson's 2023 biography attributed the fallout to "neo-Marxist influences," Wilson pushed back during a Teen Vogue interview, stating, "I believe in free health care. I believe food, shelter, and water are human rights. I feel like workers should be fairly compensated for the work that they do, and I don’t feel like the wealth should be hoarded by these mega-billionaires who are the top one per cent, who have their own interests at heart. I’ve met some of these billionaires – they’re not good people. I don’t think any of them are."
Speaking alongside the Desigual release, Wilson cautioned against relying entirely on artificial intelligence, stating, "Stop using AI for everything – you’re going to give yourself a lobotomy. Outsourcing all of your critical thinking to AI is the easiest way to lose your individuality and perspective."
When asked about her father's global stature, she added, "He's a pathetic man-child. Why would I feel scared of him?"
Musk's former partner Ashley St Clair, currently involved in a custody battle over their son Romulus, shared her own experience regarding the documentary.
She revealed that she rejected a $40 million offer from Musk's representatives intended to keep her from participating.
St Clair noted that the offer forced her to evaluate the cost of her own voice, asking per The Independent, "Why do they want to offer me this amount of money not to speak? I want to set the example for my kids that you should never take being materially comfortable over speaking the truth."
St Clair recalled a text message from Musk claiming he wanted to father a child with her to build "a legion of children before the civil war."
Reflecting on his social media footprint, she stated, "Whatever it is, what he’s doing with this platform on X cannot be ignored, because he is stoking flames that don’t exist in the real world."
She further expressed concern about his political impact, adding, "I do believe that he is causing deliberate division that may be catastrophic if it’s not regulated or tamed, or if we don’t do our part in putting it down."
Gibney's project also incorporates contributions from other women in Musk's past, including his first wife, Justine Musk. Justine, who mothers four other children with the tycoon, famously categorized herself as a "starter wife" in a 2010 Marie Claire essay, revealing that communication regarding their children was handled strictly through assistants.
Musk's complex co-parenting dynamic extends to music artist Grimes, mother to three of his children: X Æ A-xii, Exa Dark Sideræl, and Techno Mechanicus.
In 2023, Grimes publicly addressed their co-parenting difficulties online, requesting intervention so she could see her son. She later noted that she went five months without seeing her children before resolving the custody arrangement through legal channels.
With 14 children spanning from adulthood to infancy, Musk's family dynamics remain a central point of public interest.
As the upcoming release date for Gibney's film approaches, the testimonies from his inner circle highlight the challenges facing one of the world's most prominent public figures.
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