Featured Image Credit: Noam Galai/Getty Images for WSJ. Magazine Innovators Awards
Topics: Billie Eilish, Celebrity, Money
Emily Brown
Topics: Billie Eilish, Celebrity, Money
Billie Eilish has been widely praised after she confronted billionaires in a room full of wealthy people while accepting an award at the Wall Street Journal's 2025 Innovator Awards.
With honorees including Ben Stiller, Hailey Bieber, and Spike Lee, the Innovator Awards is certainly no small event as it celebrates those who are described as 'leaders' in beauty, entertainment and fashion.
The awards took place at the Museum of Modern Art yesterday (October 29), with 23-year-old Eilish among the list of winners as she took home the award for Music Innovator Award.
Eilish attended the event with her mom, Maggie Baird, and when she went on stage to collect her award, she decided to get candid with those in the room.
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"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 crowd.
She then went on to stress that many of the wealthy people in the room could be doing more with their cash, getting straight to the point as she continued: "If you have money, it would be great to use it for good things and maybe give it to some people that need it."
"I love you all, but there's a few people in here that have a lot more money than me and if you're a billionaire, why are you a billionaire?", Eilish continued.
While the natural answer to this question might be because the wealthy group are benefiting from their business ventures, Eilish pointed out that those in the billionaire category actually have the most cash to give away.
"Give your money away, shorties," she said.
Eilish isn't all talk, either, as the Oscar-winning singer is also putting her money where her mouth is by donating $11.5 million from her 'Hit Me Hard And Soft' tour proceeds to help tackle the climate crisis and food shortages. According to Celebrity Net Worth, Eilish is currently worth approximately $50 million.
A clip of Eilish's speech has gone viral in the wake of the event, with many viewers praising the singer for the way she used her platform.
Responding to the clip on Reddit, one fan commented: "I become a bigger fan of hers everyday."
"You tell them Billie! Everyone needs to speak up about this," another added, as a third wrote: "Fight the good fight Billie. Much love."