At the 2025 Wall Street Journal Innovator Awards in New York, Billie Eilish used her acceptance speech to send a powerful message to the ultra-rich.
The 23-year-old Grammy-winning singer, honored with the Music Innovator Award, urged billionaires to use their fortune for good causes and show empathy in a world that, as she put it, “is really, really bad and really dark right now.”
“Love you all, but there’s a few people in here that have a lot more money than me,” she said. “If you’re a billionaire, why are you a billionaire? No hate, but give your money away, shorties.
Notable attendees included Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and his wife Priscilla Chan.
Author’s summary: Billie Eilish urges billionaires to donate.