Australian Man Initiates Crowdfunding for Move to Billie Eilish’s Mansion
An Australian man has started a crowdfunding campaign to travel to the U.S. and move into Billie Eilish’s multimillion-dollar mansion in Los Angeles, following her controversial statement at the Grammy Awards about land ownership.
Drew Pavlou, a 24-year-old activist and influencer, publicly criticized Eilish for her remarks suggesting a moral stance against immigration enforcement after she received the Grammy for Song of the Year.
“I’m heading to America next Friday to move into Billie Eilish’s Malibu beachfront mansion,” he shared on social media. He included a link to his now-removed GoFundMe campaign. “There are no illegal people on stolen land. I’d appreciate any help for the travel and filming costs.”
Initially, Pavlou’s fundraising efforts resulted in about $3,000 raised, but the platform ultimately deleted his campaign.
“It’s really disappointing and unjust that GoFundMe took down my fundraiser,” Pavlou stated. “We’re considering other platforms to continue fundraising.”
The removal was due to the inability of the site to “verify your connection and plan to route your donations to the recipient,” as noted in an email from GoFundMe.
Pavlou adapted his strategy and established a new fundraiser on GiveSendGo, aiming to collect approximately $2,840 for a flight to California and the purchase of Eilish’s former Malibu home.
This property, which once belonged to Eilish’s brother Phineas O’Connell, had been sold in 2022 for $5.6 million.
Pavlou was unaware that the mansion had been destroyed in a fire when he initiated his campaign.
“It’s really unfortunate, since I found the beachfront mansion particularly intriguing,” he admitted, revealing he spent some of the raised funds to visit Eilish’s lavish residence in Glendale.
In her acceptance speech at the Grammy ceremony, Eilish made a pointed political comment, stating, “I’m grateful, but let’s be real—no one is living here illegally on stolen land,” and added a strong anti-ICE sentiment.
Pavlou was among many who expressed dissent over Eilish’s words, describing her perspective as extreme and indicative of a broader radical trend in the entertainment industry. He remarked on the surprising approval among the Grammy audience for her stance.
Lastly, it’s worth noting that Eilish’s Los Angeles property is situated on land traditionally recognized as belonging to the Tongva people. Indigenous advocates encourage public figures to acknowledge the history of the land they occupy.
A spokesperson from the Tongva community mentioned that while Eilish has not yet contacted them directly, they hope future conversations will highlight their tribe more prominently to raise awareness of their ongoing connection to the territory.
