“I love you all, but there are a few people here with a lot more money than me,” she said. “If you’re a billionaire—why are you a billionaire? No hate, but yeah, give your money away, shorties,” she added during her speech at the WSJ Magazine Innovator Awards.
The comments came as the 23-year-old artist was honored for her contributions to the music industry on Wednesday. It was then revealed that she would be donating $11.5 million from her “Hit Me Hard and Soft” tour to The Changemaker Project, a charitable initiative focused on addressing climate change and food insecurity.
Among the billionaires attending the awards show was Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg, who was there with his wife, Priscilla Chan, recognized for her philanthropic efforts. Other notable attendees included director Spike Lee, Rhode founder Hailey Bieber, and “Star Wars” creator George Lucas.
“We’re in a time right now where the world feels really dark, and people need empathy and help more than ever—especially in our country,” Eilish told the star-studded audience. “If you have money, it’d be great to use it for good—maybe give some to people who need it,” she added.
According to People magazine, which had reporters on the ground at the event, Zuckerberg did not clap along with the rest of the audience during Eilish’s remarks. The Facebook co-founder has a reported net worth of $226 billion, according to Forbes, while Eilish’s estimated net worth is around $50 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth.
Despite her growing success and winning nine Grammy Awards, the Gen Z star still lives with her parents in their modest two-bedroom, one-bathroom home in Los Angeles.
Eilish has long been an advocate for environmental and social causes alongside her mother, Maggie Baird, and brother, Finneas. Together, they have championed sustainability within the music industry. Baird, a climate activist herself, is the founder of Support + Feed, a nonprofit organization promoting plant-based eating as a way to combat climate change and food insecurity.
Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan signed Bill Gates’ Giving Pledge back in 2010—a commitment by the world’s wealthiest individuals and families to give away the majority of their wealth over time. The Giving Pledge, launched that same year by Bill and Melinda French Gates and Warren Buffett, invites signatories to publicly commit to donating at least 50% of their wealth to philanthropy during their lifetimes or through their wills.
Some other prominent signers include MacKenzie Scott (ex-wife of Jeff Bezos), Michael Bloomberg, Elon Musk, George Lucas, and Mark Zuckerberg himself. However, billionaire Peter Thiel has previously warned Tesla CEO Elon Musk to reconsider involvement with the pledge, criticizing its donations to what he described as “left-wing nonprofits.”
https://fortune.com/2025/10/31/billie-eilish-mark-zuckerberg-billionaires-give-away-wealth-giving-pledge/
