Khaberni - Global artist Billie Eilish directed direct criticism towards the wealthy and billionaires, among them Meta founder Mark Zuckerberg, during the Metropolitan Museum of Modern Art's ceremony in New York for the Wall Street Journal Innovator Awards 2025.
Billie Eilish directly criticizes the wealthy
During her speech on stage, Billie Eilish expressed her deep regret about the state of the world, saying: "We live in difficult and dark times, and people need empathy and help more than ever, especially in our country. I think if you have money, it's great to use it for good things... perhaps to help those who really need it."
Billie Eilish addressed her speech directly to a group of world-famous celebrities and the wealthy, including Mark Zuckerberg, saying: "I love you all, but there are some people here who have much more money than me. If you're a billionaire, why are you a billionaire? Donate your money, shorties!"
Mark Zuckerberg's reaction to Billie Eilish's criticisms
Billie Eilish's statements caused a wave of muted laughter and applause throughout the hall, which was attended by a large list of celebrities, including Mark Zuckerberg and his wife Priscilla Chan, alongside stars like Hailey Bieber, Spike Lee, George Lucas, Ben Stiller, Chris Rock, Tory Burch, Karlie Kloss, and others.
However, according to several attendees of the event, Mark Zuckerberg did not applaud Billie Eilish's speech, despite some expressing their admiration for her boldness.
Mark Zuckerberg ranks as the third richest person in the world, with a fortune estimated at $257 billion according to Forbes magazine. He attended the event alongside his wife Priscilla, who was also honored as the Innovator of the Year in philanthropic science for her efforts in the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative aimed at developing new tools for treating diseases.
Billie Eilish Donates $11.5 Million
At the same time, Stephen Colbert announced during the event that Billie Eilish would donate $11.5 million from her tour revenues to organizations fighting the climate crisis and supporting food justice.
Billie Eilish's tour began last September, concurrently with the release of her third album titled Hit Me Hard And Soft, during which she broke several records in various cities around the world. She broke the record held by Justin Timberlake for 18 years at his Sydney concert, and surpassed Metallica's record in Prague, Germany.
The Wall Street Journal Innovator Awards 2025 ceremony honored artist Spike Lee in the cinema category, Hailey Bieber in beauty, Ben Stiller in entertainment, Priscilla Chan in charitable work, and George Lucas in design.
Billie Eilish Tour
Billie Eilish will resume her musical tour in November with several performances around the world, including in Texas, USA, and others.
This was not the only humanitarian stance by global star Billie Eilish, as she previously collaborated with a nonprofit organization to make her concerts more environmentally sustainable through raising audience awareness about the importance of reducing the carbon footprint, and implemented some specific policies for her tours and concerts, where she asked vendors in the vicinity of the concert to offer only vegetarian options during the shows.
As of 2025, Billie Eilish's net worth is estimated at approximately $50 million according to the Celebrity Net Worth website, and she recently sold the rights to a documentary film about her titled "Billie Eilish: The World’s a Little Blurry" to Apple, with some reports estimating she received about $25 million for that deal.
