Billie Eilish Is Now at the Centre of an Anti-Asian Scandal

"I am appalled and embarrassed and want to barf that I ever mouthed along to that word"

Photo: Kelia Anne MacCluskey

BY Brock ThiessenPublished Jun 22, 2021

Fast on the heels of a queerbaiting scandalBillie Eilish is now at the centre of another scandal — this time for using an anti-Asian racial slur.

Last night (June 21), Eilish addressed a video that surfaced on TikTok late last week. The clip appeared to show a younger Eilish mouthing the Asian slur "c***k" as she lip-synched along to Tyler, the Creator's 2011 Goblin track "Fish."

Tyler's song goes as follows: "Slip it in her drink and in the blink, of an eye, I can make a white girl look c***k." As far as we know, however, Tyler himself has never apologized for using the slur.

Making matters worse, the edited clip then shows Eilish speaking some gibberish, which many saw as her making fun of an Asian accent.

To offer an explanation, Eilish took to her Instagram story, stating, "I am appalled and embarrassed and want to barf that I ever mouthed along to that word."

Her statement in full reads as follows:

I love you guys, and many of you have been asking me to address this. And this is something that I WANT to address because I'm being labeled something that I am not.

There's a video edit going around of me when I was 13 or 14 where I mouthed a word from a song that at the time I didn't know was a derogatory term and used against members of the Asian community. I am appalled and embarrassed and want to barf that I ever mouthed along to that word. This song was the only time I'd ever heard that word as it was never used around me by anyone in my family. Regardless of my ignorance and age at the time, nothing excuses the fact is that it was hurtful. And for that I am sorry.

The other video in that edited clip is me speaking in a silly gibberish made up voice... something I started doing as a kid and have done my whole life when talking to my pets, friends, and family. It is absolute gibberish and just me goofing around, and is in NO way an imitation of anyone or any language, accent or culture in the SLIGHTEST. Anyone who knows me has seen me goofing around with voices my whole life.

Regardless of how it was interpreted I did not mean for any of my actions to have caused hurt to others and it absolutely breaks my heart that it is being labeled now in a way that might cause pain to people hearing it. I not only believe in, but have always worked hard to use my platform to fight for inclusion, kindness, tolerance, equity and equality.

We all need to continue having conversations, listening and learning. I hear you and I love you. Thank you for taking the time to read this.


Of course, with Eilish's new album Happier Than Ever coming out soon, the timing couldn't be worse for the singer. The album arrives on July 30 via Darkroom/Interscope, and she's also heading out on the "Happier Than Ever, The World Tour" in 2022.

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