Billie Eilish to billionaires: 'give your money away'

Billie Eilish wants billionaires to donate more. As the Grammy and Oscar winner accepted the music award at this year's WSJ. Magazine Innovator Awards on Wednesday night, she urged the ultra-wealthy to address more of the world's issues. "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, kind of, ever, especially in our country," Eilish said to an audience that included Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and his wife Priscilla Chan, as well as "Star Wars" creator George Lucas. "I'd say if you have money, it would be great to use it for good things, maybe give it to some people that need it.

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Late night host Stephen Colbert introduced Eilish on stage at New York's Museum of Modern Art by announcing that she would donate $11.5 million of the proceeds from her Hit Me Hard and Soft tour to causes dedicated to food equity, climate justice and reducing carbon pollution. In accepting the award, the "Bad Guy" singer added a polite but direct call to others in the room, saying a lot of people, especially in the U.S., could use some help right now. "Love you all, but there's a few people in here who have a lot more money than me," she said, to a smattering of applause. "And if you're a billionaire, why are you a billionaire? And no hate, but give your money away, shorties." Through her Changemaker Program, Eilish has worked with the nonprofit Reverb for years on its Music Decarbonization Project and its Music Climate Revolution initiative, alongside artists ranging from Dead & Company to Harry Styles. Eilish's comments come as the number of billionaires worldwide continues to grow, with 204 new billionaires added in 2024, according to a January report from Oxfam International titled "Takers Not Makers."