Mark Ruffalo mocks Kevin O’Leary for criticizing Billie Eilish's anti-ICE Grammys speech
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Mark Ruffalo criticized entrepreneur and ‘Shark Tank’ personality Kevin O’Leary after O’Leary publicly attacked Billie Eilish’s anti-ICE commentary at the 2026 Grammy Awards.
The exchange has drawn attention as the fallout continues from Eilish’s politically charged acceptance speech, which placed immigration enforcement at the center of a national conversation about celebrity involvement in public policy.
Mark Ruffalo says Kevin O’Leary lives in a 'fantasy double standard'
Ruffalo took to the social media platform Threads on Thursday, February 5, to respond directly to O’Leary’s remarks, telling him to “S*U” and accusing him of criticizing a widely admired artist.
“Kevin O’Leary, why don’t you STFU. It’s hilarious,” the actor wrote.
“You will go on any show and talk s**t about any number of things and smugly expect us to listen to you, 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,” he added, referring to O’Leary’s role in the Josh Safdie-directed film, which saw him play Milton Rockwell, a cutthroat 1950s businessman and main antagonist.
Ruffalo’s remarks were specifically in response to the businessman and 'Shark Tank' star’s recent warning to the 'Wildflower' singer and other celebrities who decide to get political on a public stage.
Kevin O’Leary told Billie Eilish to shut her mouth and 'just entertain'
O’Leary’s comments came earlier in the week when he told Fox News that entertainers like Eilish should avoid injecting politics into award show speeches and instead “just entertain” their audiences.
🚨 Kevin O'Leary: “Billie Eilish's agents are going out of their minds. The first lesson for celebrities, whether you are a music star or film star, is shut your mouth and just entertain.”pic.twitter.com/hoLOHYI5WS
— Derrick Evans (@DerrickEvans4WV) February 4, 2026
“Half the people in politics that you pi** off won’t buy your music anymore,” O’Leary said on Tuesday. “Don’t be stupid about it, but hey, they don’t listen.”
He added, “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.”
Billie Eilish yells 'f**K ICE' during Grammys acceptance speech
At the 2026 Grammys, Eilish used her time onstage after winning Song of the Year for 'Wildflower' to speak out against the Trump administration’s intense and controversial immigration enforcement. She also wore an "ICE Out" pin on her outfit.
“I feel so honored every time I get to be in this room,” she said in part. “And, as grateful as I feel, I honestly don’t feel like I need to say anything, but that no one is illegal on stolen land. … It’s just really hard to know what to say and what to do right now, and I feel really hopeful in this room.”
Eilish then went on to urge the public to “keep fighting and speaking up and protesting,” before yelling, “f**k ICE,” which was bleeped on the CBS telecast.
“Nobody is illegal on stolen land. We need to keep fighting and speaking up. Our voices do matter."
— Pop Crave (@PopCrave) February 2, 2026
— Billie Eilish during her acceptance speech at the #GRAMMYs pic.twitter.com/SpVwvUu3GD
“Seeing a lot of very powerful old white men outraged about what my 24-year-old sister said during her acceptance speech,” Eilish’s brother Finneas O’Connell wrote on Threads, defending her. “We can literally see your names in the Epstein files.”