The Native American tribe that owns the land beneath Billie Eilish’s multimillion-dollar Los Angeles mansion said celebrities should “explicitly” name the tribes they reference if they want to use Indigenous issues to make political statements.
The Tongva tribe confirmed that the “Bad Guy” singer’s $3 million home sits on its ancestral land after the 24-year-old used her Grammys acceptance speech to criticize ICE and declare that “no one is illegal on stolen land.”
The Tongva, the Indigenous people of the Los Angeles Basin often called the “First Angelenos,” said they appreciate Eilish’s sentiment but noted that she has never contacted them directly, adding that public statements should clearly acknowledge the specific tribes involved.
Billie Eilish has been called out for what the Tongva tribe described as “virtue-signaling” after the singer referenced stolen land during a recent public appearance.
A spokesperson for the Tongva tribe, which owns the land beneath Eilish’s Los Angeles mansion, told the Daily Mail that the singer has never contacted the tribe directly regarding her property. While the tribe said it appreciates when public figures draw attention to Indigenous history, it emphasized the importance of specificity.
“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,” the spokesperson said.
“Eilish has not contacted our tribe directly regarding her property, but we do value instances when public figures provide visibility to the true history of this country,” a spokesperson for the Tongva tribe said.
The comments sparked sharp reactions from political figures and commentators online. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis wrote on X, “Oh, gee, this ‘stolen land’ nonsense again? Maybe she should step up and forfeit her Southern California mansion since it is supposedly on ‘stolen land.’”
Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) echoed the criticism, writing, “Any white person who does a public ‘stolen land’ acknowledgement should immediately give his or her land to Native Americans. Otherwise they don’t mean it. Also, I’m pretty sure they don’t mean it.”
