Singer pledges $11.5M toward climate justice and food equity efforts
During her speech at the WSJ. Magazine Innovator Awards on Wednesday, Grammy-winning artist Billie Eilish delivered a pointed message to the ultra-wealthy — including some who were sitting right in front of her.
“If you’re a billionaire, why are you a billionaire? No hate, but seriously — give your money away, shorties,” the 23-year-old pop star said while accepting the Music Innovator Award at New York’s Museum of Modern Art.
Eilish’s comments came shortly after Stephen Colbert, who introduced her on stage, revealed that she plans to donate $11.5 million from her Hit Me Hard and Soft world tour to causes centered on food equity, climate justice, carbon reduction, and environmental resilience.
Once on stage, Eilish expanded on her message, urging others with means to take action.
“We’re living in a really dark and difficult time, and people need empathy and help more than ever,” she said. “If you have money, it would be amazing to use it for good — to give it to people who actually need it.”
She added with a laugh, “Love you all, but there are definitely a few people here tonight who have a lot more money than I do.”
Eilish’s remarks come amid intensifying global wealth inequality. A 2023 Oxfam report found that the world’s richest 1% control 45.6% of total global wealth, and that just 81 billionaires own more wealth than half the world’s population combined.
Among those in attendance that night was Mark Zuckerberg, one of the world’s most recognizable billionaires. Known for his talk of “masculine energy” and estimated fortune in the hundreds of billions, Zuckerberg reportedly did not applaud Eilish’s comments, according to People magazine.
Other guests at the event included Priscilla Chan (who also received an award), Spike Lee, Hailey Bieber, Questlove, Adam Scott, and Brittany Snow.
The event also took place as income inequality hit record highs in early 2025, according to new data from Statistics Canada.
Eilish’s call for social and environmental responsibility is far from her first political statement. The singer has publicly supported Gaza, Black Lives Matter, veganism, and climate activism, and is part of a growing wave of Gen Z artists — such as Chappell Roan, who used her Grammy speech to condemn record label inequities — using their platforms to challenge power and push for change.
