Billie Eilish urges billionaires to share wealth, address food insecurity, and use their influence for positive social and environmental change.
Billie Eilish, during her award acceptance speech on Wednesday night, called out the super-rich, including billionaire Meta founder Mark Zuckerberg, who was present. She questioned why they allowed the wealth gap to grow and urged them to consider giving, as she reminded everyone that “people need empathy and help in our country.”
Eilish received recognition at the WSJ Magazine Innovator Awards for her influence on the music world. During the event, it was announced that she plans to donate $11.5 million from her “Hit Me Hard and Soft” tour. The donation will support The Changemaker Program, which addresses food insecurity and challenges such as climate change.
Photo credit: Toglenn, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
In her speech after accepting the award, she set a clear example of how celebrities can make a positive impact. She urged people with wealth “to use it for good things and help those who need it.”
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She addressed billionaires, saying, “Love you all, but some of you here have way more money than I do. If you’re a billionaire, why even keep that much? No offense, but share what you have shorties.”
Mark Zuckerberg currently the world’s fifth-richest individual, attended the event. His net worth stood at $226 billion as of Thursday. He was there to support his wife, Priscilla Chan, who was recognized for her efforts in giving back and thoughtful charity work.
Eilish’s remark sparked soft laughter and applause. They mentioned that an unnamed “eyewitness in the audience” noticed Zuckerberg stayed still and did not join in the clapping like the others.
Zuckerberg and Chan have donated over $5 billion during their lifetimes. This amounts to 2% of their total wealth, placing them on Forbes’ list of top philanthropists for their planned generosity.
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Key Quote
Fashion editor and stylist Gabriella Karefa-Johnson wrote on Threads after listening to Eilish’s speech, “I love Gen Z because they just don’t care. They’ll straight-up call Zuck an evil nerd right to his face—and thank goodness they do!”
Forbes Valuation
Mark Zuckerberg was 19 when he set up Facebook, the famous social media site, back in 2004. By 2012, he took the company public. Today, he ranks among the wealthiest individuals worldwide. In 2010, he agreed to The Giving Pledge, a commitment from billionaires to donate the majority of their wealth to charitable efforts. Five years later, in 2015, Zuckerberg and his wife, Priscilla Chan, pledged to donate 99% of their Facebook shares, which were worth $45 billion at the time, to charity. They planned to do this through the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, which works towards improving healthcare and education. This act showed their dedication to thoughtful giving.
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Criticism of billionaires has become increasingly common, even from wealthy celebrities, as the wealth gap in the United States continues to widen. Ms Rachel (Rachel Gryphon-Accurso), a popular online children’s entertainer who earned $23 million last year, recently shared her thoughts. She posted, “No one needs a billion dollars. People need food. The end.” This highlights the ongoing conversation about fair access to food and how celebrities can help address these social issues.
Mark-Zuckerberg
Photo credit: Anurag R Dubey, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
Comedian Rosie O’Donnell described billionaire Jeff Bezos’s extravagant wedding in Italy as “gross excess.” Meanwhile, actress Mia Farrow shared a photo of Bezos’s first wife, MacKenzie Scott, during the celebration. She added a caption saying, “How awesome is MacKenzie Scott! (Jeff Bezos’s first wife and mother of his four children).” By mid-December 2024, Scott had donated a total of $19.3 billion to more than 1,600 charities.
Actor Daniel Craig revealed years back that he plans to give away his fortune, saying, “Isn’t there an old adage that if you die a rich person, you’ve failed?” These stories of famous people giving and planning their donations highlight the broader discussions about sharing wealth, addressing climate issues, and ensuring fair access to food at a time when the gap between rich and poor is growing.
Source:
Mary Whitfill Roeloff (October 30, 2025). Billie Eilish Calls Out Billionaires In Room With Mark Zuckerberg: ‘Give Your Money Away’. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/maryroeloffs/2025/10/30/billie-eilish-calls-out-billionaires-in-room-with-mark-zuckerberg-give-your-money-away/
Header Image: Billie Eilish at the 2019 iHeartRadio Music Awards in Los Angeles California on March 14, 2019 – Photo by Glenn Francis of www.PacificProDigital.com
Photo credit: Toglenn, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
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