‘Old white men are outraged’: Finneas O’Connell mocks backlash to Billie Eilish’s Grammys speech
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.”
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.
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.
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’.”
Oh, gee, this “stolen land” nonsense again?
— Ron DeSantis (@RonDeSantis) February 2, 2026
Maybe she should step up and forfeit her southern California mansion since it is supposedly on “stolen land.” https://t.co/0CVJc5MC65
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.”
Any white person who does a public “stolen land” acknowledgement should immediately give his or her land to native Americans
— Mike Lee (@BasedMikeLee) February 2, 2026
Otherwise they don’t mean it
Also, I’m pretty sure they don’t mean it https://t.co/aZ0iuLhM2K
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.’”
A gentle reminder that Billie Eilish, worth $50 million, has given $0.00 to the original inhabitants of this “stolen land.” https://t.co/gVn152tQee pic.twitter.com/fhfTlXrXct
— Manny Marotta (@MannyMarotta) February 2, 2026
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.
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