Billie Eilish Calls Out Billionaires During WSJ Awards Speech
During Billie Eilish’s acceptance speech at the WSJ Magazine Innovator Awards, the musician delivered a pointed message to the powerful and wealthy audience before her.
The 23-year-old Grammy winner, who received the Music Innovator Award, spoke about empathy and the need for more compassion in the world. She revealed that she donated $11.5 million from her tour to multiple organizations.
Then, turning her attention toward the crowd, filled with billionaires, creators, and industry leaders, she urged them to do better, stressing that influence and wealth come with responsibility.
“We’re in a time right now where the world is really, really bad and really dark and people need empathy and help more than, kind of, ever, especially in our country,” Eilish told the star-studded audience. “I’d say if you have money, it would be great to use it for good things, maybe give it to some people that need it.”
Her remarks drew a mix of quiet laughter and applause inside New York’s Museum of Modern Art, where the event was held. The audience included Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan, Hailey Bieber, Spike Lee, George Lucas, Ben Stiller, Chris Rock, Tory Burch, Questlove, and Karlie Kloss, among others.
“Love you all, but there’s a few people in here that have a lot more money than me. If you’re a billionaire, why are you a billionaire? No hate, but yeah, give your money away, shorties.”
According to one eyewitness, Facebook founder Zuckerberg notably did not clap after Eilish’s comment.
