Billie Eilish calls out billionaires: ‘No hate, but give your money away’

Last night (October 29), former Dazed cover star Billie Eilish won the ‘Music Innovator Award’ at WSJ’s 2025 Innovator Awards at the Metropolitan Museum of Modern Art in New York. She attended the award ceremony with her mom, Maggie Baird, and used her speech to plead with the world, particularly the US, to become a more empathetic place and for billionaires to share their wealth. 

“We’re in a time right now where the world is really, really bad and dark. People need empathy and help more than ever, especially in our country,” she states. “I’d say if you have money, it would be great to use it for good things and give it to some people who need it. There are some people in here who have a lot more money than I do. If you’re a billionaire, why are you a billionaire? No hate, but give your money away, shawties.” Eilish gave this speech in front of several wealthy individuals, including Facebook billionaire Mark Zuckerberg and his wife Priscilla Chan, who were also honoured at the award show. 

Later in the evening, Stephan Colbert announced that Eilish would donate $11.5 million from her Hit Me Hard and Soft Tour to organisations fighting for food equity and against climate change. “On behalf of all humans, thank you very much,” remarks Colbert. Rather than just call out billionaires, she showed them exactly how they should start sharing their wealth. 

Protecting the environment has always been important to Eilish. When she released her third album, Hit Me Hard and Soft last year, it came with an eco-friendly approach – the vinyls were made from 100 per cent recycled materials. Her merch was produced using organic or recycled cotton and recycled polyester. Even the posters were printed on 100 per cent recycled paper. Her tour also featured a sustainability plan, developed in partnership with Google Maps, encouraging fans to take public transport or cycle to her shows, support local plant-based restaurants, and connect with climate action groups present at each tour date.