NEW YORK — Billie Eilish called on wealthy individuals to use their resources for charitable causes Wednesday during the WSJ Magazine 2025 Innovator Awards, where she was honored as the publication’s music innovator.
Eilish, 22, received the award from late-night host Stephen Colbert at the event in New York City, which was attended by several prominent figures, including Meta founder Mark Zuckerberg. Zuckerberg, whose net worth is estimated by Forbes at $228 billion, was among the high-profile guests present.
Before presenting Eilish with the award, Colbert announced that the pop star had raised $11.5 million through her ongoing Hit Me Hard and Soft Tour. The funds will support organizations addressing food insecurity and climate change as part of Eilish’s Changemaker Program.
In her acceptance speech, Eilish directly addressed the room’s affluent attendees. “People need empathy and help in our country,” she said. “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.” She added, “Love you all, but there’s a few people in here that have a lot more money than me. If you are a billionaire, why are you a billionaire?”
Eilish continued, “No hate, but give your money away, shorties.”
Meta was contacted for comment regarding Eilish’s remarks.
The event coincided with the release of Eilish’s interview with WSJ Magazine, in which she discussed her touring experiences and nearly removing one of her most successful songs from her latest album, “Hit Me Hard and Soft.” Eilish also emphasized her commitment to environmental causes, specifically critiquing the fashion industry’s reluctance to adopt sustainable materials.
“You can literally make all the same stuff with sustainable materials, and people just aren’t doing it,” she told the magazine. “The main thing that I’ve learned in working with so many companies and making my own merch and my perfume is that everyone can actually do it. It’s just that mostly they don’t.”
Eilish’s Changemaker Program supports organizations working to address world hunger and environmental issues. In addition to fundraising, Eilish provides plant-based food options at her concerts, uses biodegradable confetti, sells merchandise made from recycled cotton, and encourages fans to bring reusable water bottles and use public transportation to her shows.
Previously, Eilish criticized wastefulness in the music industry. “I find it really frustrating as somebody who really goes out of my way to be sustainable and do the best that I can and try to involve everybody in my team in being sustainable,” Eilish told Billboard in 2024. “And then it’s some of the biggest artists in the world making 40 different vinyl packages that have a different unique thing just to get you to keep buying more.”