FACT CHECK: Did Billie Eilish Say She ‘Wanted To Be Poor’ So She Can ‘Relate To Most Of’ Her Fans?

An image shared on Facebook allegedly shows a People Magazine interview excerpt in which singer Billie Eilish says, “I wanted to be poor so I can relate to most of my fans.”

Verdict: False

There is no record of Eilish making the statements. The claim appears to stem from a parody Twitter account that has since been suspended.

Fact Check:

Eilish, an award-winning singer and songwriter known for songs such as “Ocean Eyes” and “Bad Guy,” recently released her second full-length album titled “Happier Than Ever.”

The image allegedly showing a People Magazine interview excerpt with Eilish circulated ahead of her latest album’s release. The supposed excerpt quotes Eilish as saying “When I got rich, I started balling my eyes out, I wanted to be poor so I can relate to most of my fans” and “I still want to be broke and poor, it looks really fun and cute.”

Check Your Fact found no instance of Eilish making the statements in articles published by People Magazine or any other credible news outlet. Likewise, neither statement appears on the “Ocean Eyes” singer’s social media accounts.

The fabricated quotes seem to stem from the now-suspended parody Twitter account @BilliesUpdatess. The account, which described itself as a “parody account” and “NOT affiliated with anything related to Billie Eilish,” tweeted the image of the fake interview excerpt on July 26, according to an archived version of the tweet.

Eilish’s brother, Finneas O’Connell, addressed the parody account’s tweet in a July 27 tweet of his own, calling it “fake obviously.” (RELATED: Does This Image Show Joe Biden Touching Olivia Rodrigo’s Shoulders?)

Fake obviously. Honestly I just wish they’d label this account satire like the onion or something. I have no problem with a joke as long as people know it’s a joke https://t.co/0GaH40SblV

— FINNEAS (@finneas) July 27, 2021

“It is fake and the account that created it was suspended,” Alexandra Baker, Eilish’s publicist, confirmed in an email to Check Your Fact.

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