Featured Image Credit: Francis Chung/Politico/Bloomberg/Kevin Winter/Getty Images for iHeartRadio
Topics: Elon Musk, Billie Eilish, Celebrity, Money, US News
Rhianna Benson
Topics: Elon Musk, Billie Eilish, Celebrity, Money, US News
After Billie Eilish publicly questioned last week why Elon Musk doesn't share his mass wealth, the multi-billionaire hit back with a fiery message of his own.
For those in need of a reminder, the Oscar-winning musician made an appearance at the WSJ Magazine Innovator Awards on Friday (18 November), where she shared her thoughts on the super-rich.
She recently donated $11.5 million of her own money to those in need.
The 23-year-old told attendees (including Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, worth over $200 billion): "We're in a time right now where the world is really, really bad and really dark and people need empathy and help more than, kind of, ever, especially in our country.
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"I'd say if you have money, it would be great to use it for good things, maybe give it to some people that need it."
Eilish added: "Love you all, but there's a few people in here that have a lot more money than me. If you're a billionaire, why are you a billionaire? No hate, but yeah, give your money away, shorties."
Following the big-name get-together, the 'What Was I Made For' hit-maker shared a series of screengrabs on her Instagram, demonstrating all the humanitarian contributions Musk could make to society if he donated more of his wealth. This included the solving world hunger for $40 billion a year, saving endangered animal species, and rebuilding Gaza.
"etc.... F**king pathetic p***y b***h coward," Eilish captioned her collection.
In the days that followed, 54-year-old tech mogul Musk has seemingly caught wind of the singer's post, taking to X (formerly Twitter) to have his say.
Responding to Eilish's screengrabs, he slammed the star, writing: "She’s not the sharpest tool in the shed."
Apparently, it wasn't just Musk that took issue with the 'bad guy' chart-topper's stance, but a number of other social media users, several of whom questioned why more celebs weren't offering up their cash to those in need.
"Her and all of her super rich celebrity friends can come together to do a lot of great things for people. Can’t rely on the Elon Musks in the world," one Instagram user hit out.
Others, meanwhile, praised Eilish for speaking out, with one writing: "I so agree with her."
A representative for Zuckerberg has also spoken out following Eilish's comments at the WSJ event, emphasising: "As you know, he and Dr. Priscilla Chan recently attended the WSJ Innovator event.
"Dr. Chan was honored for her leadership in science philanthropy at the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative (CZI) – where she and Mark are co-CEOs and co-Founders."
The representative lastly added: "Through CZI, they have already contributed more than $7 billion to various causes and have pledged to donate 99 percent of their Meta shares to philanthropy over their lifetime."