Mark Ruffalo has taken aim at Shark Tank entrepreneur Kevin O’Leary over his criticism of Billie Eilish’s anti-ICE speech at the Grammys.
Last weekend, the singer picked up the Song Of The Year prize for her ‘Hit Me Hard And Soft’ track ‘Wildflower’, and in her acceptance speech, she took aim at the controversial US agency Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
“No one is illegal on stolen land,” she said, while wearing a pin reading “ICE OUT”. “I feel like we just need to keep fighting and speaking up and protesting, and our voices really do matter, and the people matter… and fuck ICE.”
Her comments brought about criticisms from many on the US right, including Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem, who called her “ill-informed”, and Elon Musk, who braded her a “hypocrite”.
Another to speak out was O’Leary, the Canadian entrepreneur and star of Shark Tank, the US equivalent of Dragons Den. He appeared on Fox News and said: “Half the people in politics that you piss off won’t buy your music anymore. It’s the first lesson 101 for celebrity: as you rise up, whether you’re a film star, a music star, or whatever, shut your mouth and just entertain.”
His comments triggered a reaction from Avengers and Poor Things star Ruffalo, who shared a passionate defence of Eilish on Threads. “Why don’t you STFU?” he wrote. “It’s hilarious. You will go on any show and talk shit about any number of things and smugly expect us to listen to you.”
“But you will dig into a real artist that dwarfs anything you dream of doing for actually saying something that resonates with 100’s of millions of people the world over. It’s astounding the fantasy double standard Kevin O’Leary lives in. You played yourself well in Marty Supreme.”
O’Leary made his film debut in Josh Safdie’s celebrated ping-pong drama, playing the obnoxious, arrogant stationery salesman Milton Rockwell.
Ruffalo is no stranger to speaking his mind politically – at the Golden Globes last month, he wore a badge honouring Renee Good, who was shot dead by an ICE agent in Minneapolis. Speaking about Donald Trump, he also said: “He’s the worst human being. If we’re relying on this guy’s morality for the most powerful country in the world, then we’re all in a lot of trouble.”
“So this is for her,” the actor added. “This is for the people in the United States who are terrorised and scared today. I know I’m one of them. I love this country. And what I’m seeing here happening is not America.”
Another person to defend Eilish and her Grammys speech has been her brother Finneas, who wrote: “Seeing a lot of very powerful old white men outraged about what my 24-year-old sister said during her acceptance speech. We can literally see your names in the Epstein files.”
The Grammys weren’t the first time that Eilish has voiced her opinion on ICE. Last month she urged other famous people to speak out about ICE’s actions in Minnesota – which led to the deaths of Alex Pretti and Renee Good.
Before then, she called the agency a “federally funded and supported terrorist group” that was “tearing apart families, terrorising citizens, and now murdering innocent people”.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) subsequently responded to Eilish’s claims, and said: “It’s garbage rhetoric from the likes of Billie Eilish that is leading to a 1,300 per cent increase in assaults and 3,200 per cent increase in vehicle rammings against our brave law enforcement.”
Countless other artists have been vocal about the escalating violence from ICE, including Bruce Springsteen, who penned the new song ‘Streets Of Minneapolis’, as well as Bad Bunny, Tom Morello, Lady Gaga and many more.