Billie Eilish was given the music innovator award at the WSJ. Magazine Innovator Awards in New York Wednesday, and from the podium, she suggested that billionaires be a bit more generous.
In introducing Billie, Stephen Colbert noted that she raised more than $11.5 million in donations through her Hit Me Hard and Soft tour. That money will go to her Changemaker Program, which helps organizations fighting food insecurity and the climate crisis.
Accepting the award, Billie said, “My fans are the only reason I care about anything, and I want to thank them for their empathy and compassion.”
She noted, “We’re in a time right now where the world is really, really bad and really dark, and people need empathy and help more than ever, especially in our country. And I’d say if you have money, it would be great to use it for good things and give it to some people that need it.”
“Love you all, but there’s a few people in here that have a lot more money than me,” she continued. “And if you are a billionaire, why are you a billionaire? No hate, but yeah, give your money away, shorties.”
Billboard reported that among the people in the room during the speech was Meta owner Mark Zuckerberg, who’s worth an estimated $228 billion.
Copyright © 2025, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.
