Mark Ruffalo issues scathing message to Shark Tank star after criticizing Billie Eilish
Topics: Mark Ruffalo, Billie Eilish, Grammys
Callum Jones
Featured Image Credit: Getty Images/Michael Blackshire
Topics: Mark Ruffalo, Billie Eilish, Grammys
Mark Ruffalo has criticised Shark Tank star Kevin O'Leary after he slammed Billie Eilish's anti-ICE comments at the Grammys last weekend (February 1).
Across the US, protests against several United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids have occurred, which were ramped up even further following the deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti in Minneapolis.
Following Pretti's death after being shot by a federal immigration officer, numerous celebrities, including Olivia Rodrigo, Mandy Moore, and Ariana Grande, have issued statements on the current climate in the US.
And on February 1, Eilish took the opportunity to share her thoughts at the Grammys when accepting the Song of the Year award for ‘Wildflower’.
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She said: "I feel so honored every time I get to be in this room. And, as grateful as I feel, I honestly don’t feel like I need to say anything. No one is illegal on stolen land. And yeah, it’s just really hard to know what to say and what to do right now.
"I 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 erm, f**k ICE."
However, the 'Bad Guy' singer's comments didn't go over so well with some, such as O'Leary.
Days after her speech, the 71-year-old appeared on Fox News' American Reports, where he said: "Half the people in politics that you p**s off won’t buy your music anymore.
"It’s the first lesson 101 for celebrity: As you rise up, whether you’re a film star, a music star [or] whatever, shut your mouth and just entertain."
However, Ruffalo came to Eilish's defence and issued a scathing message to O'Leary on Threads, telling him: "Why don’t you STFU?"
“It’s hilarious. You will go on any show and talk s*** about any number of things and smugly expect us to listen to you," the Avengers star wrote.
"But you will dig into a real artist that dwarfs anything you dream of doing for actually saying something that resonates with 100’s of millions of people the world over.
"It’s astounding the fantasy double standard Kevin O’Leary lives in. You played yourself well in Marty Supreme."
Ruffalo's comments reference O'Leary's appearance as a stationary tycoon, Milton Rockwell, in Marty Supreme, which follows Timotheé Chalamet's Marty Mauser's goal to become the world's best table tennis star.
At the Golden Globes in January, the Poor Things star, along with numerous other celebrities, appeared with a pin on his jacket that read 'Be Good' in reference to Renee Good's death.
He told USA Today: "This is for Renee Nicole Good, who was murdered."
The 58-year-old went on to make some scathing comments about President Donald Trump and JD Vance, which the White House has since responded to, adding that the pin was for 'people in the United States who are terrorized and scared today'.
"I love this country. And what I'm seeing here happening is not America," he said.
Elsewhere, Finneas, Eilish's older brother and co-writer, also backed up his sister's comments, claiming that 'a lot of very powerful old white men' were offended by her statement.
UNILAD has reached out to O'Leary's representatives for comment.