Kevin O’Leary is facing the wrath of some high-profile celebrities, most notably Mark Ruffalo, over remarks he made targeting Billie Eilish’s anti-ICE stance.
During Sunday’s Grammy Awards, the pop star, 24, used her Song of the Year acceptance speech to urge fans to “keep fighting and speaking up and protesting.”
“No one is illegal on stolen land,” Eilish declared. “F*** ICE.”
Days later, the Shark Tank star, 71, appeared on Fox News’ program America Reports, criticizing artists who use their platforms for political messaging. “Half the people in politics that you piss off won’t buy your music anymore,” O’Leary said. “It’s the first lesson 101 for celebrity: As you rise up, whether you’re a film star, a music star [or] whatever, shut your mouth and just entertain.”
Ruffalo, a staunch liberal, has since defended Eilish against O’Leary’s criticism, telling the millionaire, “Why don’t you STFU?”
“It’s hilarious. You will go on any show and talk s*** about any number of things and smugly expect us to listen to you,” the Avengers star, 58, wrote on Threads, “but you will dig into a real artist that dwarfs anything you dream of doing for actually saying something that resonates with 100’s of millions of people the world over.”
He added: “It’s astounding the fantasy double standard Kevin O’Leary lives in. You played yourself well in Marty Supreme.”
O’Leary, a Canadian entrepreneur and Donald Trump ally, made his feature film debut in Josh Safdie’s Oscar-nominated sports drama as Milton Rockwell, an arrogant stationery tycoon.
The Independent has contacted O’Leary’s representative for comment.
Ruffalo’s comment received an outpouring of support from fans and peers, including comedian Kathy Griffin, who replied: “Mark, keep it up. We are so grateful for your resistance. Stay loud.”
The Marvel actor isn’t the only celebrity to stand up for Eilish. Her older brother, singer-songwriter Finneas, 28, also spoke out against the conservative backlash she’s received.
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“Seeing a lot of very powerful old white men outraged about what my 24-year-old sister said during her acceptance speech,” Finneas said on his Instagram Story. “We can literally see your names in the Epstein files.”
Eilish, who won Song of the Year for her song “Wildflower” from her 2024 Grammy-nominated album Hit Me Hard and Soft, used her acceptance speech to send a powerful message about the Trump administration’s continued ICE operations.
“I feel so honored every time I get to be in this room,” she said. “And, 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. … It’s just really hard to know what to say and what to do right now, and I feel really hopeful in this room.”
She had previously called out other celebrities who have remained silent about the deaths of Minneapolis civilians, Renee Good and Alex Pretti, at the hands of DHS agents. “Hey my fellow celebrities u gonna speak up?” Eilish asked in an Instagram Story shared in January.
