A Republican senator said Thursday pop star Billie Eilish should return her Grammy which she recently won “on stolen land.”
When journalist Nicholas A. Ballasy asked Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-MO) for his thoughts on Sunday’s Grammy’s awards show and if he thought celebrities’ anti-ICE messaging was appropriate, Schmitt gave him a simple answer.
“There can be no Grammy’s on stolen land. So I think Billie Eilish ought to give the Grammy back and probably her mansion which, I guess, is on stolen land, too. It’s ridiculous. These people are completely out of touch and so, whatever. Yeah,” he stated:
His comments come after Eilish got political while making her Song of the Year acceptance speech, according to Breitbart News.
When she took the stage, Eilish was wearing an anti-ICE pin with the words “ICE Out” on it. She barely thanked anyone and said, “No one is illegal on stolen land.”
“It’s really hard to know what to say and what to do right now… We just need to keep fighting and speaking up and protesting. Our voices really do matter and the people matter,” she continued, adding, “And fuck ICE. That’s all I’m going to say. Sorry. Thank you so much.”
Her statements drew criticism, and Breitbart News highlighted the fact she has taken a man to court and sought a restraining order after he trespassed at one of her homes.
“QUESTIONS: Since Billie Eilish lives on stolen land AND won’t return it AND no one is illegal on stolen land, why does she keep going to court to prevent people from illegally trespassing on her stolen land?” X user amuse wrote:
In addition, a local tribe known as the Tongva has since claimed Eilish’s mansion in Los Angeles is on their ancestral land, per Breitbart News’s John Nolte.
A tribe spokesperson said, “As the First People of the greater Los Angeles basin, we do understand that her home is situated in our ancestral land. Eilish has not contacted our tribe directly regarding her property. We do value the instance when Public Figures provide visibility to the true history of this country.”
“It is our hope that in future discussions, the tribe can explicitly be referenced to ensure the public understands that the greater Los Angeles basin remains Gabrieleno Tongva territory,” the spokesperson added.