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Billie Eilish Challenges Billionaires at WSJ Innovator Awards, Donates $11.5 Million

Her onstage appeal for wealth to serve the public good came in a room that included Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg, with coverage citing an eyewitness claim he withheld applause.

Overview

  • Stephen Colbert announced that Eilish will give $11.5 million from her Hit Me Hard and Soft tour to organizations focused on food equity, climate justice, and reducing carbon pollution.
  • Eilish delivered the remarks while accepting the Music Innovator Award at WSJ. Magazine’s 2025 Innovator Awards at MoMA in New York City.
  • Addressing ultra-wealthy attendees, she asked why billionaires remain billionaires and urged them to give money to people who need it.
  • Mark Zuckerberg attended with Priscilla Chan, an honoree, and People reported via an unnamed eyewitness that he did not clap; no public response from Zuckerberg or Meta was reported.
  • The donation will be distributed through Eilish’s Changemaker Program and follows her tour’s sustainability measures, including recycled merch, plant-based food options, and biodegradable confetti.