Billie Eilish slams 'predator' Donald Trump, walks off stage mid-song after lyric about Roe v. Wade being overturned
"Someone who hates women so, so deeply is about to be the president of the United States of America," Eilish told the crowd at her first post-election concert.
Billie Eilish didn’t mince words while reacting to the news that former President Donald Trump has won his reelection bid in the 2024 presidential race.
On the heels of the election results, Eilish, 22, told the crowd of her Wednesday night Nashville concert that she initially “couldn’t really fathom doing a show on this day.” But after giving it thought, realized that she could provide a safe space for those also struggling to process the news.
"The longer the day went on, I kind of had this feeling of like, it’s such a privilege that I get to do this with you guys and that we have this in a time like right now,” Eilish told the crowd at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena, per fan-recorded footage. “I just love you so much and I want you to know that you’re safe with me and you’re protected here and that you are safe in this room.”
Launching into the preamble for her song “TV,” Eilish shared that the lyrics are "about the abuse that exists in this world upon women and a lot of the experiences that I have gone through and people I know have gone through.”
She added, “To tell you the truth, I’ve never met one single woman who doesn’t have a story of abuse. Not one.”
Speaking to her own experience, Eilish said, "I’ve dealt with some stuff myself and I’ve been taken advantage of. My boundaries were crossed, to say it politely, and now a person who is a… let’s say convicted predator, let’s say that — god, my heart is beating fast,” she observed, then concluded, "Someone who hates women so, so deeply is about to be the president of the United States of America. So, this song is for all the women out there. I love you, I support you.”
Eilish then performed “TV” but halted about halfway through the song after singing the lyric: “The internet’s gone wild watching movie stars on trial/ While they’re overturning Roe v. Wade.” She spent a few moments standing in silence, the crowd cheering her on, before the lights went dim and she walked off stage.
Representatives for Donald Trump did not immediately respond to Entertainment Weekly’s request for comment.
Related: See celebrities cast their votes in 2024 presidential election
Last May, the former president was found liable of sexual abuse and defamation against author and journalist E. Jean Carroll. As it was a civil suit, Trump was not convicted of a crime, but was ordered to pay Carroll $5 million in damages. Carroll — who alleges in her 2019 memoir that Trump raped her in the dressing room of a Manhattan department store — is one of more than a dozen women who have accused Trump of sexual assault or harassment.
While Eilish offered a bold statement and words of comfort to her crowd, fellow singer Sabrina Carpenter shared similar sentiments on the other side of the country, while performing at the Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle.
“I hope we can be a moment of peace for you, a moment of safety,” Carpenter told her crowd. “Sorry about our country. And to the women in here, I love you so, so, so, so, so much, and I really hope for the rest of this night that you can enjoy yourselves because you absolutely deserve it.”
The rising pop star was recently deemed one of the most influential celebrities in getting young Americans registered to vote in the 2024 presidential election. Though she did not officially endorse a candidate, the “Please Please Please” singer-songwriter was responsible for increasing voter registration by 35,814, per HeadCount.
Eilish and brother Finneas O'Connell have been outspoken supporters of Democratic nominee Vice President Kamala Harris. In September, the siblings teamed up for an endorsement video, urging followers to vote for Harris to “protect our reproductive freedom, our planet, and our democracy."
Eilish added that fans should “vote like your life depends on it because it does.”
In the immediate aftermath of Trump winning reelection on Wednesday, Eilish somberly posted on her Instagram Story, "It's a war on women.”