American singer Billie Eilish has urged billionaires to give away their wealth instead of hoarding it, saying people are struggling and need help.
The Grammy winner made the remark while accepting her award at the WSJ Magazine Innovator Awards in New York on Wednesday night, where tech billionaire Mark Zuckerberg and filmmaker George Lucas were in attendance.
Eilish, who was honoured for her contribution to the music industry, announced she would be donating 11.5 million dollars from her “Hit Me Hard and Soft” world tour to The Changemaker Program, which supports causes related to climate change and food insecurity.
In her speech, she said, “If you have money, use it for good things and give it to people that need it. Love you all, but there are a few people here that have a lot more money than me. If you are a billionaire, why are you a billionaire? No hate, but give your money away, shorties.”
Her words drew laughter and applause from the audience, though reports said Zuckerberg, who attended in support of his wife Priscilla Chan, did not join in the clapping.
Zuckerberg, currently the fifth richest person in the world with a net worth of about 226 billion dollars, has donated more than 5 billion dollars through the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative.
“Star Wars” creator George Lucas, whose net worth is estimated at 5.3 billion dollars, was also present and received the design innovation award. His family foundation reportedly has over 1 billion dollars in assets.
Reacting to the moment, fashion editor Gabriella Karefa-Johnson wrote on Threads, “I love Gen Z, they don’t care. They will call Zuck an evil dork to his face, and thank God for that.”
