Finneas O'Connell has publicly supported his sister Billie Eilish after she faced criticism for her outspoken comments against US Immigration and Customs Enforcement during her acceptance speech at the 2026 Grammys. Eilish used her Song of the Year win for 'Wildflower' to condemn ICE, declaring 'no one is illegal on stolen land' and 'fuck ICE.' Finneas responded sharply to detractors on social media.
At the 2026 Grammy Awards held last weekend, Billie Eilish accepted the Song of the Year award for 'Wildflower,' a track from her 2024 album Hit Me Hard and Soft. During her speech, she wore an 'ICE Out' pin and addressed the audience: "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 really hard to know what to say and what to do right now, and I feel really hopeful in this room. 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 fuck ICE."
Her remarks come amid widespread protests against ICE, linked to at least eight deaths in recent weeks, including incidents in Minnesota involving Alex Pretti and Renee Good. Eilish has previously called ICE a "federally funded and supported terrorist group" tearing apart families and terrorizing citizens. The Department of Homeland Security countered, stating that such "garbage rhetoric from the likes of Billie Eilish" has led to a 1,300 percent increase in assaults and 3,200 percent increase in vehicle rammings against law enforcement.
Criticism followed swiftly. US Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem labeled Eilish "ill-informed," while Elon Musk called her a "hypocrite." USA Today published an article deeming views from Eilish and Bad Bunny— who also said "ICE out" during his acceptance— as "idiotic." Former President Donald Trump described the Grammys as "the worst," "garbage," and "virtually unwatchable" on Truth Social, threatening to sue host Trevor Noah over jokes about Epstein Island and Bill Clinton.
On February 4, 2026, Finneas took to Threads to defend his 24-year-old sister: "Seeing a lot of very powerful old white men outraged about what my 24-year-old sister said during her acceptance speech. We can literally see your names in the Epstein files." He also rebuked USA Today: "You can’t say it doesn’t matter what musicians or celebrities say or think, but then talk about it for days. You’re out here making it matter. I’ll keep speaking up, especially if it keeps bothering you."
Eilish's comments echoed those of other artists at the event. Bad Bunny opened his Best Música Urbana Album speech with "Before I say, ‘Thanks to God,’ I’m going to say, ‘ICE out.’” Kehlani ended her Best R&B Performance acceptance with "Fuck ICE," and Shaboozey dedicated his win to the "children of immigrants." Many wore 'ICE Out' pins, including Justin and Hailey Bieber, Brandi Carlile, Jack Antonoff, Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon, Margo Price, and Samara Joy. Broader support includes Bruce Springsteen’s new song 'Streets Of Minneapolis,' and statements from Tom Morello and Lady Gaga.
This marks Eilish's 10th Grammy, following previous Song of the Year wins for 'Bad Guy' in 2020 and 'What Was I Made For?' in 2024.
