‘Old white men are outraged’: Finneas O’Connell mocks backlash to Billie Eilish’s Grammys speech

Billie Eilish spoke against President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown, linking it to the deaths of US citizens Renee Good and Alex Pretti
PUBLISHED FEB 5, 2026
Finneas O’Connell defended Billie Eilish after her anti-ICE Grammys remarks, accusing critics of hypocrisy in a viral social media post (Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)
Finneas O’Connell defended Billie Eilish after her anti-ICE Grammys remarks, accusing critics of hypocrisy in a viral social media post (Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Billie Eilish’s brother and principal collaborator, Finneas O’Connell, responded to criticism his sister received after calling out Immigration and Customs Enforcement crackdowns across the country during her Grammy Awards acceptance speech.

Taking to Meta’s Threads and Instagram Stories on Wednesday, February 4, O’Connell said, “Seeing a lot of very powerful old white men outraged about what my 24 year old sister said during her acceptance speech. We can literally see your names in the Epstein files.”

(Instagram/ @finneas)
Finneas O’Connell said powerful older white men were outraged by Billie Eilish’s Grammys speech (Instagram/ @finneas)

Billie Eilish blasts ICE crackdown during Grammys speech

The 28-year-old musician’s comment came after Billie Eilish used her voice against the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown, which she linked to the deaths of two US citizens, Renee Good and Alex Pretti, in Minneapolis last month.

Billie Eilish attends the 68th GRAMMY Awards on February 01, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. (John Shearer/Getty Images for The Recording Academy)
Billie Eilish attends the 68th GRAMMY Awards on February 01, 2026 in Los Angeles, California (John Shearer/Getty Images for The Recording Academy)

Wearing an “ICE OUT” pin during the ceremony, Eilish said, “No one is illegal on stolen land,” while accepting the Song of the Year award at the 68th Grammy Awards.

“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 f*** ICE is all I want to say, sorry,” the 24-year-old added.

Conservatives slam Billie Eilish over ‘stolen land’ remarks

Billie Eilish’s “stolen land” comment was reportedly interpreted as a reference to land once belonging to a Native American tribe on which her $3 million home was built.

Billie Eilish accepts the Environmental Justice Award onstage during the 2026 King Holiday Observance: 2026 MLK, Jr. Beloved Community Awards at Hyatt Regency Atlanta on January 17, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Paras Griffin/Getty Images)
Billie Eilish accepts the Environmental Justice Award onstage during the 2026 King Holiday Observance: 2026 MLK, Jr Beloved Community Awards at Hyatt Regency Atlanta on January 17, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia (Paras Griffin/Getty Images)

The 'Birds Of a Feather' songstress, however, faced significant backlash.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis posted on X, “Oh, gee, this ‘stolen land’ nonsense again? Maybe she should step up and forfeit her Southern California mansion since it is supposedly on ‘stolen land’.”



Senator Mike Lee (R-Utah) wrote, “Any white person who does a public ‘stolen land’ acknowledgement should immediately give his or her land to native Americans. Otherwise they don’t mean it. Also, I’m pretty sure they don’t mean it.”



Independent journalist Manny Marotta added on X, “A gentle reminder that Billie Eilish, worth $50 million, has given $0.00 to the original inhabitants of this ‘stolen land.’”



During a Senate antitrust hearing on the Netflix and Warner Brothers deal, Senator Ted Cruz reportedly stated, “Did either of you watch the Grammys this week? One simple question, are we right now on stolen land...It speaks volumes that neither of you are willing to say ‘hell no, we’re not on stolen land…”

“And I will say, at the Grammys, when you see an entertainer say ‘nobody is illegal while we’re on stolen land’ and then you see entertainers leap to their feet so excitedly at the notion that America is fundamentally illegitimate, it starts to convey the entertainment world is deeply corrupt,” he asserted.

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.

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