Billie Eilish has received a warning from a Native American tribe following her speech at the 2026 Grammys.
The ‘Bad Guy’ scooped a Grammy for her hit Wildflower, this past Sunday and used her victory speech to reference the Trump administration’s controversial, and often violent, approach to immigration.
Eilish’s speech was just one of a number of moments that sparked a ton of headlines from the recent awards show, which has triggered reactions from everyone from Native American tribes to the Trump administration itself.
The Grammys provided wall-to-wall viral moments
As usual, the Grammys dominated headlines over the weekend and in the days following the ceremony, from the red carpet to what happened on the stage itself.
Chappell Roan’s choice of dress, which saw the ‘Pink Pony Club’ megastar sport a topless Mugler gown, suspended from two nipple rings, naturally lit a switch online, with scores of people championing the look, while others castigated the dress for how revealing it was.
“Kids are watching, disgusting,” one viewer wrote, while another asked “Is this legal?” With a third adding, “This should be a crime.”
On the flip side of that coin, fans and fashion insiders rushed to the singer’s defense. Many praised her for pushing boundaries and reclaiming bodily autonomy in an industry that has long policed women’s appearances.
“My god, Chappell Roan’s dress. Goddess,” one fan posted. “Chappell Roan, you will always be that girl,” another added.
Other viewers were more preoccupied with the strain on Roan’s anatomy. “There’s no way that doesn’t hurt,” one fan noted.
Roan was further mired in controversy, although not of her own doing, when Oscar winning actor Jamie Foxx chose the red carpet as the moment to introduce his daughters to her.
Many viewers (stop me if you’ve heard this one before) took to social media to voice their outrage at Foxx bringing his children to meet Roan when she was dressed in such an outfit.
Naturally, the moment has been debated relentlessly back and forth with some people believing it was the worst thing to happen in human history and others saying ‘lol, chill out.’
Trump issues chilling threat to Grammys Host Trevor Noah
During the course of the show, host Trevor Noah, presenting the Grammys for the sixth and final time, cracked a joke about Donald Trump which was, unsurprisingly, not well received by the US President.
Noah joked: “Song of the Year – that is a Grammy that every artist wants almost as much as Trump wants Greenland, which makes sense because Epstein’s island is gone, he needs a new one to hang out with Bill Clinton.”
The joke, which referenced Trump’s desire to annexe Greenland as well as his multitude of mentions in the recently released batch of Epstein Files, drew a rapid response from Trump, who took to his Truth Social platform to offer a furious response, complete with a threat of legal action against Noah.
“The Grammy Awards are the WORST, virtually unwatchable! CBS is lucky not to have this garbage litter their airwaves any longer. The host, Trevor Noah, whoever he may be, is almost as bad as Jimmy Kimmel at the Low Ratings Academy Awards.
“Noah said, INCORRECTLY about me, that Donald Trump and Bill Clinton spent time on Epstein Island. WRONG!!! I can’t speak for Bill, but I have never been to Epstein Island, not anywhere close, and until tonight’s false and defamatory statement, have never been accused of being there, not even by the Fake News Media.
“Noah, a total loser, better get his facts straight, and get them straight fast. It looks like I’ll be sending my lawyers to sue this poor, pathetic, talentless, dope of an M.C., and suing him for plenty $.”
Cher announces dead artist as winner at the Grammys
As if all that wasn’t enough, Cher brought the curtain down on a typically chaotic night by announcing the wrong artist – one who is dead, no less – as the winner of Record of the Year.
With Kendrick Lamar and SZA’s ‘Luther’ scooping the prize, the 79-year-old icon was left to announce the pair as winners, but instead awarded the prize to legendary R&B singer Luther Vandross. Who has been dead for 20 years.
In fact, after some initial confusion over where the winner’s name was supposed to appear, Cher then trailed off mid-sentence before eventually reading ‘Luther Gandross’ from the card, mispronouncing the late legend’s name.
The ‘Gypsies, Tramps and Thieves’ icon, who received a lifetime achievement award on the night, eventually announced Lamar and SZA as the winners, with Lamar acknowledging Vandross’ inspiration behind the record.
ICE became huge topic at the Grammys
Following the killings of mother Renée Good and nurse Alex Pretti in Minnesota over the past month, at the hands of ICE and Border Patrol agents, tensions have been higher than ever across America regarding the Trump administration’s approach to immigration and how they have targeted immigrants in the United States.
With widespread protests against ICE’s violent tactics erupting across America in recent weeks and months, celebrities have been quick to speak out against the agency. Eilish took her opportunity at the Grammys.
Taking to the stage to accept her award for Song of the Year for ‘Wildflower’, Eilish said: “As grateful as I feel, I honestly don’t feel like I need to say anything but that no one is illegal on stolen land.
“It’s just really hard to know what to say and what to do right now, and I just 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*** ICE, that’s all I’m gonna say. Sorry!”
Eilish called out for hypocrisy after speech
Eilish’s comment about stolen land was one that raised a lot of eyebrows, with many conservative commentators and personalities being quick to note that Eilish’s Los Angeles mansion is actually built on land owned by the Tongva Tribe.
The Tribe have since confirmed that the $3 million mansion does indeed sit on their ancestral land. The Tongva are indigenous inhabitants of the Los Angeles Basin, known as the ‘First Angelenos’.
Speaking to the Daily Mail, the Tongva appreciated Elish’s sentiment with her speech, but confirmed that they had never been in contact with the Grammy and Academy Award winning artist regarding the land that her lavish home sits upon.
“We appreciate the opportunity to provide clarity regarding the recent comments made by Billie Eilish,” began a statement from the Tongva.
“As the First People of the greater Los Angeles basin, we do understand that her home is situated in our ancestral land. Eilish has not contacted our tribe directly regarding her property, we do value the instance when Public Figures provide visibility to the true history of this country.”
And while right-wing personalities pounced at the opportunity to denounce and mock Eilish, the Tongva were appreciative of her support, explaining that they had contacted Eilish’s team ‘to express our appreciation for her comments’ while adding: “It is our hope that in future discussions, the tribe can explicitly be referenced to ensure the public understands that the greater Los Angeles basin remains Gabrieleno Tongva territory.”
Eilish was far from the only star to express disdain for ICE at the Grammys, with the likes of Joni Mitchell, Kehlani and Justin and Hailey Bieber wearing ‘ICE OUT’ pins to the ceremony.
