Billie Eilish is facing accusations of using a racial slur and mocking ethnic accents.
The controversy was sparked on Wednesday when a TikTok user posted a video compilation in which the 19-year-old singer appears to say a derogatory term for people of Chinese descent, speaking in what many believe is a mock Asian voice, and being called out by her brother for talking in "blaccent."
The video clip left many fans infuriated.
"im not surprised billie eilish is racist..." one Twitter user wrote
"billie eilish has been racist to asians on multiple occasions (saying the c slur and mocking asian languages) but no one ever talks about it," another tweeted.
"Billie Eilish is RACIST. Do NOT stream her music. Do NOT watch her music videos. Do NOT put her songs on playlists. If your local radio station is playing her music, call them and let them know they’ve messed up! Billie Eilish is a racist #cancelbillieeilish" a third fumed.
There were fans who also defended Eilish and even suggested that the clips may have been a result of the star’s Tourette syndrome, which causes the sufferer to exhibit involuntary tics. Eilish revealed her disorder on social media in 2018.
"I've never mentioned [my Tourette Syndrome] on the internet because nobody thinks I'm deada--," Eilish wrote in an Instagram story cited by Hollywood Life. "As well as the fact I've just never wanted people to think of tourettes every time they think of me."
“MY tics are only physical and not super noticeable to others if you’re not really paying attention (believe me, HAVING them is a whole different type of misery)," she continued. "My Tourette’s makes easy things a lot harder. Certain things increase and/or trigger the intensity of the tics. But it’s something I grew up with and am used to. My family and closest friends know it as a part of me. I’ve taught myself techniques to help reduce them when I don’t want to be distracting in certain situations. But again, suppressing them only makes things worse after the moment is over."
Eilish added that she would not go into full detail about her disorder, but was willing to answer questions.
"Wasn’t planning on talking about this on here maybe ever, but it’s gotten to a point… lol," she wrote. "These compilations y’all been making of my tics are low-key funny even when y’all make fun of them n sh*t. I know you’re all confused so as to what it is, so just to let ya know… it’s Tourette’s."
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Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.