Singer-songwriter Billie Eilish has got the people talking after taking a very public stand against President Donald Trump in the wake of ICE raids.
Eilish, 24, was one of the big winners at the 68th Annual Grammy Awards last week, where she gave a controversial statement when accepting the Song of the Year award for her hit single “Wildflower.”
Her remarks sparked fury online from many, including “Shark Tank” judge Kevin O’Leary, who apparently doesn’t like people blasting their issues with Trump on public stages.
Taking the stage at the Crypto.com Arena, Eilish blasted Trump’s administration, letting the crowd know, “And as grateful as I feel, I honestly don’t feel like I need to say anything, but no one is illegal on stolen land.”
She continued, “It’s just really hard to know what to say and what to do right now. And I just feel really hopeful in this room, and I feel like we just need to keep fighting and speaking up and protesting. And our voices really do matter, and the people matter, and f–k ICE is all I want to say. Sorry.”
The arena erupted into cheers and applause, with many audience members jumping to their feet for an extended standing ovation. Eilish’s brother and collaborator, music producer Finneas O’Connell, was at her side to silently support his younger sibling.
During a segment on Fox News, O’Leary, 71, blasted Eilish’s anti-ICE rhetoric and other celebs who spoke up that night at the Grammys. He was asked to respond to reports that Eilish’s L.A. mansion was located on the “ancestral land” of the Tongva Tribe.
“I feel sorry for celebrities that wander into this kind of thing without at least a basic AI search,” O’Leary responded to the leading question from “America Reports” anchor John Roberts. “She got torched, but do your homework first.”
The Montreal-born immigrant went on to suggest that the fallout from Eilish’s “no one is illegal on stolen land” remarks could ultimately have a positive impact on the nation.
“I’m not sure what happens to her. I say this to entertainers, ‘Half the people in politics that you piss off won’t buy your music anymore. Don’t be stupid about it.’ But hey, they don’t listen,” he advised.
O’Leary had one more parting shot at Eilish, telling Fox News watchers, “Well, I know her agents are going out of their minds. I mean, it’s the first lesson 101 for [a] celebrity. As you rise up, whether you’re a film star or music star, whatever, shut your mouth and just entertain.”
Ironically, O’Leary’s takedown of Eilish put him in the hot seat as well, as social media users torched him for the hypocrisy of a Canadian television personality telling a recording artist from the United States not to exercise her First Amendment rights.
“Says the guy that supports Trump. Duh,” an X user pointed out about O’Leary, an outspoken advocate for the Republican president he once claimed “saved entrepreneurship” just days after the 2024 election.
O’Leary’s bold message to Eilish also made him the target of online ridicule, as someone tweeted, “Awww! Mr. Wonderful. Snowflake got triggered.” Another person offered, “Billie Eilish really hit a nerve. Lol.”
O’Leary’s “shut your mouth and just entertain” demand fell on deaf ears, particularly since Trump’s followers have fully embraced a hip-hop artist, Trinidad and Tobago native Nicki Minaj, as one of their own in recent weeks. Both parties recently attended a White House event with Trump and were photographed.
“Find it hilarious that they call for celebs to ‘shut up and entertain’ yet use Nicki as their mouthpiece when it supports their agenda,” one X poster wrote. Two other replies read, “The hypocrisy is hilarious” and “Lmao how true is this.”
In addition, one account on the platform directly mocked Mr. Wonderful by tweeting, “Reality star Kevin O’Leary (‘Shark Tank’) should shut his mouth and just entertain. And also donate a chunk of his money.”
Unlike Nicki, Eilish received more support from her followers, but others say it backfired after new developments involving her home. A brash Los Angeles law firm is jokingly offering to help evict the singer from her multimillion-dollar mansion on behalf of the Native American tribe, Tongva.
Sinai Law Firm said the tongue-in-cheek offer came after Eilish’s Grammy declaration, framing the move as a pointed swipe at what it called the singer’s onstage rhetoric colliding with her real-estate reality. “And it’s incredibly hypocritical of Hollywood elites to preach from their gated and guarded property,” attorney Avi Sinai told The New York Post.
The Tongva tribe, whose ancestral territory covers the Los Angeles Basin and the Channel Islands, pointed out that despite Eilish’s remarks, the singer never reached out to them about giving up or returning her roughly $3 million Los Angeles property.
