An Australian man says he was just deported from the United States because he joked about walking into it Billie Eilish‘s Mansion.
Drew Pavlou is a 25-year-old political activist best known for protesting against the Chinese government. He was once arrested outside the Chinese embassy in London. He ran for the Australian Senate. He describes himself as “a misunderstood theorist of global justice.” If you haven’t heard of it, that’s okay. Ten million people just did.
After Eilish told the Grammy audience that “nobody’s illegal on stolen land” and added “f–k ICE,” Pavlou sat on X who was moving into her Malibu oceanfront mansion because “nobody’s illegal on stolen land.” He launched a GoFundMe. GoFundMe cleared it for $3,000. He went to GiveSendGo. Book a flight.
He actually got on the plane.
What Happened at LAX
He never made it past immigration. Pavlou says he was detained for more than 30 hours. Customs asked if he planned to enter Eilish’s property. He told them it was shitposting. They asked if he ever threatened to blow up Chinese government installations.
He laughed. They didn’t.
He claims that Eilish’s legal team has given to DHS – although no confirmation has been released. What is confirmed: he got food poisoning from a microwave burrito, read hundreds of pages of Roberto Bolaño in a detention facility, and was sent back to Australia. His post about it has 10 million views. Elon Musk replied: “The most ironic outcome is the most likely.”
Eilish didn’t answer.
He’s Not Even First
Here’s the thing — Pavlou isn’t the first person to test what Eilish said. He’s the only one who got on a plane. The list began to grow the morning after the speech.
Within hours, people pointed out that her $2.3 million Glendale mansion is on the ancestral land of the Tongva tribe – the Indigenous people of the greater Los Angeles Basin. They are not a historical footnote. They are an active tribe seeking federal recognition. A spokesperson for Tongva confirmed to Newsweek that Eilish’s home is “on the land of our ancestors,” and that she has never contacted them. Not before the speech. Not after. Not even a DM.
They added a demand that is easy to miss and hard to forget — that people actually mention Tongva when they talk about “stolen land,” instead of using the phrase as an empty slogan without specifying who the land belonged to.
Eilish didn’t answer.
Two days later, LA-based Sinai Law Firm offered on X to fire Eilish pro bono on behalf of the Tongva. Lawyer Avi Sinai later told the New York Post that the offer was satirical. But his follow-up had teeth: “It is both an empty virtue sign and used as a weapon at the same time,” he wrote. “No elected official is giving the land back to the Tongva. Just like Billie Eilish she will not be evicted nor will she give her house back.”
Eilish didn’t answer.
Then a GB News reporter drove up to her Glendale mansion and stood at the door. “Billie, let us in, please. We’re here because this is stolen land.” The door remained closed. The property that he called stolen was secured behind the kind of gate that suggests that the person inside strongly believes in the lines of the property.
Eilish didn’t answer.
The Pile-On
Drew Pavlou takes a selfie at LAX immigration after being detained for over 30 hours. He says customs officials questioned him about his viral posts joking about going to Billie Eilish’s mansion. Image credit: @DrewPavlou
By this point, half of American politics weighed inches. Senator Mike Lee said that anyone who makes an acknowledgment of “stolen land” should hand over their land. Kevin O’Leary told Eilish to “shut up and have fun.” Mark Ruffalo told O’Leary to shut up instead. DHS Secretary Kristi Noem called the Grammy artists “famous uninformed musicians.” Elon Musk called Eilish a “hypocrite.” Trump called the Grammys “garbage.”
Senators, cabinet secretaries, billionaires, Shark Tank hosts, Hulk – they all talk about Billie Eilish. The only person who didn’t talk about Billie Eilish was Billie Eilish.
Her brother Finneas chimed in on Threads: “Seeing a lot of powerful old white men very angry about what my 24 year old sister said during her acceptance speech. We can literally see your names in the Epstein files.”
That was the closest thing to a response the Eilish camp offered. Billie herself said nothing.
Two weeks of Silence
Image credit: @billieeilish/Instagram
Here’s what Billie Eilish said publicly as of February 1: “No one is illegal on stolen land. F–k ICE.”
That’s it — at least on this subject.
Since then, the Tongva tribe has confirmed that it lives on their land. A law firm offered to fire her using her own words. A reporter showed up at her door. A senator, a Shark Tank host, the DHS secretary, and the president all weighed in.
Eilish did not clarify whether “no one is illegal on stolen land” applies to Tongva tribesmen, Australian shitposters, or British journalists standing at her door.
The door, for the record, is still closed.