Billie Eilish’s fiery comments at the 2026 Grammy Awards stirred a whirlwind of controversy. During her acceptance speech, Eilish passionately stated, “No one is illegal on stolen land,” and criticized ICE with a blunt expletive.

Eilish’s remarks, highlighting the colonial history of the Americas, were met with an immediate and intense response from the public. Many critics demanded that she relinquish her $3 million Los Angeles home, which is situated on land historically belonging to the Tongva tribe, the Indigenous people of the greater Los Angeles area.

Inside the Crypto Arena, the reaction was starkly different. The Wildflower singer received enthusiastic applause from her peers, who appeared to overlook the complex history she alluded to. Sabrina Carpenter listened intently, while Lady Gaga, Addison Rae, and Jeff Goldblum joined in the standing ovation. Bruno Mars, Miley Cyrus, and Eilish’s boyfriend, actor Nat Wolff, also supported her message with vigor.

The irony was not lost on observers; many of these supporters reside on land with its own storied past of displacement and colonization. The incident highlights a broader conversation about historical awareness and the responsibilities of public figures in addressing such issues.

There was Sabrina Carpenter, gazing at Eilish during the speech. Lady Gaga, Addison Rae, Jeff Goldblum, all enthusiastically clapping. Bruno Mars, Miley Cyrus, and Eilish’s boyfriend, actor Nat Wolff, all happily worked up over Eilish’s message.

There’s just one problem – these non-historians all live on stolen land too. 

That’s right, the row after row of celebrities that rose to their feet as they lauded Eilish all also live on the ancestral, unceded territory of several Native American peoples, primarily the Tongva and Chumash nations.

To be fair, most Americans live on indigenous land – native tribes have lost approximately 99 percent of their original land in the US, and almost the entire geographic area of the country was at one time occupied by various indigenous tribes.

‘As grateful as I feel, I honestly don’t feel like I need to say anything but that no one is illegal on stolen land,’ Eilish said, referencing the colonization of the Americas by Europeans

A spokesperson with the Tongva tribe confirmed to the Daily Mail that Eilish’s home (pictured) is situated on their land

But, most of us aren’t on a moral high ground lecturing about ‘stolen land’ then kicking back in a $3million mansion that sits on it.

Eilish’s mansion in Glendale sits on Tongva land that was once made up of villages lining the rivers and foothills of present-day LA County.

Tongva traded prized soapstone from Catalina Island, used for cooking pots, bowls, pipes, and ornaments. They also traded abalone shells, shell beads, dried fish, marine mammals and seeds.  

The city of Los Angeles, founded in 1781, was built on the land of one tribe or another.

Lady Gaga’s $22.5million Malibu mansion sits on the traditional lands of the Chumash people, whose villages lined the coast and inland canyons for thousands of years before Spanish colonization.

Sharon Osbourne’s $18million Hancock Park mansion sits on the ancestral homeland of the Tongva (Gabrielino) people, who maintained complex trade and village networks on the land.

Goldblum’s $3.7million Hollywood Hills mansion lies within Tongva territory, as does his hotel neighbor, the famed Chateau Marmont.

Rae owns a $3million Tarzana home located near the southern edge of Chumash territory, who inhabited the Santa Monica Mountains and surrounding valleys.

Eilish was met with a wave of applause from her fellow woke musicians, who all also live on tribal land

Bruno Mars’ $6.5million Studio City mansion sits on Tongva land, including canyon areas that were used seasonally for gathering prized trading items

Addison Rae owns a $3million Tarzana home located near the southern edge of Chumash territory, who inhabited the Santa Monica Mountains 

Wolff, Eilish’s actor boyfriend, owns a stunning $2.2million Beachwood Canyon home that sits on ancestral Tongva land, part of a region once filled with villages connected by trails that ran through the Hollywood Hills.

Justin and Hailey Bieber’s $25.8million Beverly Park mansion sits on traditional Tongva territory, land that was taken through Spanish missionization and later American settlement.

Eilish’s brother, Finneas O’Connell’s $2.7million Los Feliz home is on the ancestral homeland of the Tongva.

Bruno Mars’ $6.5million Studio City mansion sits on Tongva land, including canyon areas that were used seasonally for travel, gathering, and ceremony.

John Legend and Chrissy Teigen own a $17.5million mansion in Beverly Hills that sits atop traditional Tongva territory.

Carpenter’s $4.4million Hollywood Hills mansion also sits on part of the ancestral lands of the Tongva people.

Cyrus owns a $7.9million Malibu mansion on land linked to the Ventureño Chumash, a coastal group whose expansive villages lined the Santa Barbara Channel.

Chumash lands stretch all along the Southern California coast, which made them highly skilled ocean people, known for canoe building, advanced astronomy, and a deep spiritual relationship with the land and sea. 

Finneas O’Connell’s $2.7million Los Feliz home is on the ancestral homeland of the Tongva

The Bieber mansion in $25.8 Beverly Park sits on traditional Tongva territory

Eilish has not reached out to the Tongva tribe herself, the spokesperson said

Lady Gaga’s spectacular $22.5 million Malibu mansion sits on the traditional lands of the Chumash people

Sharon and Ozzy Osbourne paid $11.85m in October 2015 for the stunning Spanish colonial-style home, complete with eight bedrooms, eight bathrooms and a pool, that sits on tribal land

Wolff, Eilish’s actor boyfriend, owns a stunning $2.2million Beachwood Canyon home that sits on ancestral Tongva land

Legend and Teigen own a $17.5million mansion in Beverly Hills that sits atop traditional Tongva territory

Carpenter, who enthusiastically applauded Eilish during her speech, owns a $4.4million Hollywood Hills mansion that also sits on part of the ancestral lands of the Tongva people

Lady Gaga applauded Eilish during her speech, yet lives in her own Malibu mansion that sits on stolen land

Ricky Gervais reignited his long-running feud with politically outspoken celebrities and took aim at Grammy winners who used their acceptance speeches to blast ICE; seen in 2020

Spanish missions, colonization, and later US settlement forcibly displaced both tribes, but some Chumash and Tongva peoples do remain present and active today.

Following Eilish’s speech, the Tongva tribe confirmed to Daily Mail the singer’s home does sit on their ancestral land and said celebrities should explicitly reference the tribes if they want to use them to virtue-signal.

One law firm in Los Angeles even offered to evict Eilish from her Los Angeles home on a pro bono basis on behalf of the Tongva people. 

Maybe Eilish – and Hollywood – learned a lesson here, that a simple ‘thank you’ would have sufficed. 

But it’s unlikely. 

In the wise words of Ricky Gervais: ‘If you do win an award tonight, don’t use it as a political platform to make a political speech,’ he said in 2020. ‘You’re in no position to lecture the public about anything. You know nothing about the real world. Most of you spent less time in school than Greta Thunberg.’

After Eilish’s speech at the Grammys, Gervais reposted it, adding, ‘They’re still not listening,’ followed by a crying face emoji.