Finnea Addresses the Backlash from Old White Men Over Billie Eilish’s Grammys Speech
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Billie Eilish delivered a powerful message during her acceptance speech at the Grammy Awards, prompting significant reactions from some attendees and commentators. Her brother and collaborator, Finneas, took to Instagram Stories to express his thoughts following her remarks.
“Seeing a lot of very powerful old white men outraged about what my 24 year old sister said during her acceptance speech,” he wrote. “We can literally see your names in the Epstein files.”
Eilish won the Grammy for Song of the Year for “Wildflower,” a track from her upcoming album, Hit Me Hard and Soft. This victory marked her 11th Grammy award, which she accepted amid a spotlight on pressing social issues, including criticizing the Trump administration.
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Eilish accepted the award from songwriting icon Carole King alongside Finneas. During her speech, she conveyed her emotions, stating, “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.” Her mention of current events resonated with many in the audience, including those wearing “ICE Out” pins to protest immigration policies under the Trump administration.
She added, “I feel really hopeful in this room, and I feel like we just need to keep fighting and speaking up and protesting. Our voices really do matter and the people matter.” Concluding her speech, she emphatically stated, “And f–k ICE is all I wanna say, sorry.”
Eilish’s criticism of ICE has been consistent in recent weeks, especially following the agency’s controversial actions that resulted in the death of poet Renée Nicole Good. Finneas has also been vocal about these issues, expressing solidarity and critiquing the hypocrisy of conservative commentators.
In response to an op-ed in USA Today urging celebrities to avoid political discourse, Finneas took to Threads, saying, “You just can’t do both. You can’t say it doesn’t matter what musicians or celebrities say or think but then talk about it for days. You’re out here making it matter. I’ll keep speaking up especially if it keeps bothering you.”
