Billie Eilish Is ‘Incredibly Offended’ By People Mocking Her Tourette’s

Billie Eilish has opened up about living with Tourette’s Syndrome during a new interview with David Letterman for his Netflix series, My Next Guest Needs No Introduction.

When Letterman notices Billie fussing about he asks, “What’s going on? The fly?” To which Billie, 20, replies, “No, I’m ticcing,” and tells the host the lights triggered it. “If you film me for long enough, you’re gonna see lots of tics.”

Being open about the nervous system disorder, the “No Time To Die” singer told Letterman “The most common way that people react is they laugh because they think I’m trying to be funny,” she said. “And I’m always left incredibly offended by that.”

Per CNN, Eilish was diagnosed at the age of 11 with the neurological disorder, which can cause uncontrollable and unwanted vocalization and/or repetitive movements.

The Grammy winner said other artists have shared with her that they also have Tourette’s, but said she was “not gonna out them because they don’t wanna talk about it.” She added that while some of her tics have subsided, she still has some subtle ones.
“These are things you would never notice if you’re just having a conversation with me,” Eilish said. “But for me they’re very exhausting.”

Eilish said she’s happy to talk about it as it’s all “interesting” to her, noting that she doesn’t experience tics while she’s performing. “When I’m moving around I’m not even ticking at all,” she said.

Watch a clip from the series below:

Billie Eilish's 10 Best Music Videos

• 10. Lo Vas A Olvidar

  Billie Eilish and Rosalía’s angelic voices meld together in “Lo Vas A Olvidar,” in which Billie sings most of the song in Spanish. The music video is minimal, allowing the artists’ emotions to shine.

• 9. bad guy

  Billie gets colorful in the music video for “bad guy,” emerging from a bright yellow backdrop. It all gets wackier from there, with Billie riding around with her squad in a tiny car, to decapitated heads in plastic bags filled with water, to dancing on a colorful carpet that’s reminiscent of The Big Comfy Couch.

• 8. my future

  Sometimes the best music videos don’t involve real people at all, and that definitely applies to Billie’s “my future,” which shows us an adorable animated Billie in a forest in the pouring rain surrounded by little creatures. As the sun begins to breakthrough, the forest comes alive.

• 7. when the party's over

  This video puts it’s sole focus on a cup of black liquid in an all-white room. Billie is dressed from head-to-toe in white, with the exception of her bright blue hair and mountain of jewelry. Her clothes and face don’t remain pristine after she drinks the glass, though.

• 6. hostage

  Billie takes a shot at interpretive dance in “hostage,” and seriously takes our breath away with the emotion behind her moves. She once again chooses an all-white room as her stage, which allows us as viewers to focus more on the story.

• 5. NDA

  One of her newer songs from Happier Than Ever, Billie chooses a lone road as the backdrop. As the song progresses, so does the scenery behind her, with cars zooming past the star as she falls down to her knees in agony.

• 4. Your Power

  The power of this song deserved an equally powerful music video, and Billie did just that when she was completely wrapped by a python.

• 3. bury a friend

  When Billie emerged on the scene, she came out with really dark ideas that few pop stars have done. Billie plays on our fears, as she lays under a bed with blackened eyes, to being injected with multiple syringes in her back. Perhaps the most disturbing images of the video is when we see Billie’s feet being dragged down a flickering hallway, only to reveal later that she’s full-blown Exorcist levitating.

• 2. Happier Than Ever

  If we’ve learned anything from Billie Eilish’s music videos, is that she like to incorporate visual storytelling with her music. In “Happier Than Ever,” the warm house Billie starts in becomes a dark, flooded mess.

• 1. all the good girls go to hell

  In continuation from her “bury a friend” music video, the syringes that were injected into Billie’s back gave her wings. But what’s a fallen angel to do once she’s landed?