Mark Ruffalo has hit out at Shark Tank personality Kevin O'Leary after he criticised Billie Eilish’s speech at the Grammys.
The Bad Guy artist sparked backlash from conservative figures after using her Song of the Year acceptance moment to speak out against President Trump’s immigration policies and declare, “No one is illegal on stolen land.”
O'Leary, the businessman and television figure who recently appeared on screen in Marty Supreme, reacted to the speech by suggesting that famous figures should avoid sharing political opinions altogether.
Ruffalo has since fired back, accusing O’Leary of operating under a “fantasy double standard” that allows him to voice his opinions freely while denying the same right to others.
“Kevin O'Leary why don't you STFU (shut the fk up). It's hilarious,” he wrote on Threads on Thursday. “You will go on any show and talk st 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.”
He wrapped up his message with a pointed remark, adding, “You played yourself well in Marty Supreme,” a reference to O’Leary’s role as ruthless businessman Milton Rockwell, the film’s main villain.
Earlier in the week, O’Leary appeared on Fox News, where he argued that actors and musicians are “stupid” for speaking about politics and said, “It's the first lesson 101 for celebrity: as you rise up, whether you're a film star or music star or whatever, shut your mouth, and just entertain.”
Elsewhere in her acceptance speech, Eilish urged audiences to continue pushing back against America’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency.
“I feel really hopeful in this room, and 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 f**k ICE,” she said while wearing an “ICE OUT” badge.
Her brother and longtime collaborator Finneas later came to her defence, posting on Threads on Wednesday, “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.”
Eilish was not alone in making a political statement on the night, with Bad Bunny, Shaboozey and Olivia Dean also using their Grammys speeches to address social and political issues.
