By Pop star Billie Eilish sparked a wave of controversy Sunday night after using her Grammy Awards acceptance speech to denounce Immigration and Customs Enforcement and declare that “no one is illegal on stolen land,” prompting accusations of hypocrisy and renewed debate over celebrity activism.
Eilish, 24, and her brother Finneas O’Connell won Song of the Year for “Wildflower,” from her 2024 album Hit Me Hard and Soft, marking her third victory in the category and pushing her career Grammy total into the double digits. Accepting the award onstage at Crypto.com Arena, Eilish wore an “ICE OUT” pin and delivered an unscripted message amid heightened national tensions over immigration enforcement.
“As grateful as I feel, I honestly don’t feel like I need to say anything but that no one is illegal on stolen land,” Eilish said. “It’s just really hard to know what to say and what to do right now. I feel really hopeful in this room, and I feel like we just need to keep fighting, and speaking up, and protesting, and our voices really do matter, and the people matter, and f*** ICE is all I want to say, sorry.”
!No one is illegal on stolen land
کەس لە سەر خاکی دزراو نایاسایی نییە!
pic.twitter.com/9adOT4CbiY— گوڵەگەنم (@gulagenim) February 2, 2026
The remarks drew applause inside the arena but triggered swift backlash online and across conservative media. Critics seized on Eilish’s use of the phrase “stolen land,” pointing to her personal real estate holdings in Los Angeles and arguing they sit on territory historically inhabited by the Tongva people, the Indigenous residents of the greater Los Angeles Basin.
Social media posts and commentary accused the singer of performative activism, with some users urging her to “return” her properties or open them to undocumented immigrants. Viral claims circulated about the value of her homes, including estimates ranging from $2 million to $3 million for an earlier Glendale-area purchase, as critics highlighted what they described as a gap between rhetoric and personal responsibility.
They're still not listening 😂 pic.twitter.com/Ol5SIT09Mq
— Ricky Gervais (@rickygervais) February 2, 2026
A spokesperson for the Tongva tribe weighed in through statements to outlets including the New York Post and Daily Mail, confirming that Eilish’s residence is located on their ancestral territory.
JUST IN: The Tongva tribe — whose ancestral land Billie Eilish's multi-million-dollar Los Angeles mansion sits on — confirmed she has not contacted them about returning the “stolen land.”
A spokesperson for the Tongva tribe told The Daily Mail: “‘As the First People of the… pic.twitter.com/hymwRyCnpU
— RedWave Press (@RedWave_Press) February 3, 2026
“As the First People of the greater Los Angeles basin, we do understand that her home is situated in our ancestral land,” the spokesperson said. “Eilish has not contacted our tribe directly regarding her property. We do value it, however, when public figures help highlight the true history of this country.”
The tribe expressed appreciation for increased visibility of Indigenous history but suggested that land acknowledgments should be more specific and paired with meaningful engagement.
The Daily Mail also noted that this isn’t the first time that Eilish’s property has made the news. A few years ago the singer made clear that at least one person was illegal on her land, at least. “This is not the first time her home has been hit with drama, as the Birds of a Feather performer obtained a restraining order against a man who she said was stalking her and threatening her family and friends in 2023.
A man named Shawn Christopher McIntyre was ordered by a court to keep a distance of a minimum of 100 yards from Eilish, 21, her family and her friend Zoe Donahoe, TMZ reported, citing court docs.”
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