Billie Eilish has drawn severe backlash over her past comments about parents who choose to send their kids to school instead of homeschooling.
In a viral clip, the singer, who was homeschooled, talked about her experience learning directly from her parents, claiming that it’s a better method than “lazy” parents who opt to send their kids to school to learn.
Billie Eilish is no stranger to being dragged online, as she recently came under fire for her remarks about meat eaters, which she has since doubled down on.
Eilish is facing fresh backlash over comments she made in a 2019 interview for Pitchfork’s “Over/Under” series, which has recently gone viral on social media.
In the clip, the singer spoke candidly about her unconventional upbringing, admitting that she has “never been to school” and instead “grew up homeschooled.”
She noted that unlike traditional schooling, where kids get “sat down” and made to study, she naturally learned how to do things by watching her parents.
“I learned how to do math by cooking with my mom and seeing how many halves are gonna make this amount. … and then like I learned how to build sh-t from my dad,” the singer said before going on to slam parents who don’t homeschool.
Eilish said, “I mean, there’s a lot of ways to do it. I think some people do it the wrong way, which is just like, makes your life horrible and miserable and boring.”
“And that’s mainly because parents are lazy as f-ck,” she added. “That’s why they send their kids to school in the first place. ‘I don’t want to teach you, b-tch.’”
Eilish and her brother, Finneas O’Connell, have previously explained that their home education prioritized creative freedom, giving them the flexibility to chase their passion for music rather than following a rigid school curriculum.
On social media, Eilish has come under heavy scrutiny for the old comments, with many especially calling her out for branding working parents as “lazy.”
“Rich kid who never went to real school calling working parents lazy for using the system that actually exists. Tone deaf and immature as hell,” one X user said.
Another wrote, “Sooo if parents are supposed to teach their homeschooled kids everything, when do they have time to go to work and provide for the household? This only works if you’re highly privileged already.”
“Apparently, from the number of stupid things she has said and continues to say, there was definitely something missing in that education,” a third individual commented.
One more person noted, “Billie, some people are chemists or actuaries; it needs to go beyond cooking, so sorry.”
Billie Eilish’s Brother And Mom Praised Homeschooling For Its Flexibility
In the same resurfaced interview, Eilish’s brother, Finneas, had nothing but praise for the unconventional schooling method, claiming that it is all about “self-discovery.”
“It’s something that I’ve really enjoyed and thrived under. I’m not at a high school where I have to base my self-worth off what other people think of me,” he noted, per the Daily Mail.
“I have to think, ‘What would I like to be doing? How would I like to be as a person?’ I think that’s an enormously positive thing,” he said.
Eilish and Finneas’ mother, Maggie Baird, shared similar sentiments in the same interview, saying, “Everybody’s always out doing things, traveling, going places, meeting for classes, and organizing field trips. It’s like going to college.”
“You take what you want, where you want it, and you find what you need… Homeschooling allows us to let them do the things that they really love to do and not have a giant academic schedule on top of it,” she added.
More recently, Eilish found herself at the center of a fiery internet debate over vegan lifestyle and comments about meat eaters.
The singer sparked widespread backlash after sharing an uncompromising take on animal rights during a sit-down interview with Elle.
When asked to name one hill she would die on, Eilish prefaced her response by warning viewers they wouldn’t like her answer before declaring that eating meat is inherently wrong.
“Eating meat is inherently wrong. And then the other thing is two things cannot coincide: ‘I love all animals so much’ and ‘I eat meat.’ You just can’t do both. Sorry!” the singer said boldly. “You could eat meat. Go for it. You could love animals. But you can’t do both.”
Unsurprisingly, the comment went viral online, leading to a wave of harsh remarks blasting Eilish and the vegan lifestyle.
The “Bad Guy” singer has been a dedicated vegan since the age of 12 after being raised as a vegetarian, and she has long used her platform to expose the harsh ethical realities of the commercial meat and dairy industries.
Despite facing backlash for her comments about meat eaters, Eilish doubled down online, telling her critics to “watch a documentary” and to look at footage of how the animals they “claim to love” are treated all for the production of meat and dairy.
The singer also urged them to learn what it “does to the planet [they] pretend to love as well,” adding, “If that footage was hard for u to watch, I encourage u to pls take a look at urself.”
Earlier this year, at the Grammy Awards, Eilish also came under heavy scrutiny for saying that “no one is illegal on stolen land.”
It led to a nationwide outcry, with critics charging the singer to give up her luxury homes to Native American tribes or migrant families.
