Bill Maher criticizes Billie Eilish Grammy anti-ICE speech comments
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“Real Time” host Bill Maher criticized celebrity “virtue signaling” at the 2026 Grammys and noted singer Billie Eilish’s anti-ICE speech.
“You don’t know the facts,” Maher said of the singer on Friday’s episode of his HBO show.
Eilish, who won Song of the Year at the music awards ceremony, condemned ICE in her acceptance speech. The 24-year-old actor went viral with the words “No one is illegal in stolen lands.”
Maher broke down the transcript of Eilish’s speech, which begins with her saying, “It’s hard to know what to say.”
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Billie Eilish (right) was among the musicians who criticized the Trump administration and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) at Sunday’s Grammy Awards. (Christopher Polk/Billboard via Getty Images)
“Then don’t say anything because you don’t know some things,” he accused. “I guess you didn’t go to school and don’t know the facts.”
However, Maher admitted that he agreed with Eilish on one issue before crediting her on immigration.
“He said, ‘Keep fighting and protesting and speaking out.’ I totally agree with that,” Maher continued. “He said, ‘Voices still matter. People still matter.'”
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“I would say so is knowledge,” he added.
The host argued that it was “pretty awesome” that a tribe in California wanted Eilish’s home after she spoke out.
Later, after the singer’s speech, he appeared before the panel with a question.
“If you say there is no such thing as illegal people on stolen land, what is the next practical step?” Maher asked. “Are we going to go back to living in teepees?”
Kevin O’Leary visits “Outnumbered” at Fox News Channel Studios in New York City on April 18, 2024; Billie Eilish attended the 68th Grammy Awards held in Los Angeles, California on February 1, 2026. (Roy Rochlin/Getty Images; Neilson Barnard/Getty Images for The Recording Academy)
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Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, one of Maher’s panelists, said his children “forced” him to watch the Grammys. “All bulls…” he scoffed at what he said.
“The truth is, this is a complicated history,” Christie said. he said.
“People got ripped off on the road. Yes, we agree with that,” the Republican said. “But if what we do today is to make these statements and there is no real solution behind this statement, then this is all nonsense…”
Meanwhile, Chrystia Freeland, Canada’s former deputy prime minister and self-described progressive, shared what “really bothered” her about the Grammy controversy.
Billie Eilish indirectly condemned the ICE raids in her acceptance speech on Sunday. (Scott Olson/Getty Images; Paras Griffin/Getty Images)
“I thought it was powerful to hear some of the award winners at the Grammys talk about ICE,” Freeland countered.
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“And I generally agree with you, Bill, that celebrities shouldn’t be leaders of political movements. But I think they shouldn’t be commenting on this truly horrific event,” he continued.
Earlier in the show, Maher compared Eilish’s words to the “river to sea” slogan often heard during “Free Palestine” protests.
“The people of Los Angeles will not move and neither will the Israelis in Gaza,” Maher said.
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“We need to deal not only with the past, but also with the future,” he suggested.
Fox News Digital reached out to Eilish’s representative for comment but did not hear back in time for publication.
