Billie Eilish addresses sexuality rumors, says 'why can't we just exist'

At the seventh annual Hitmakers brunch hosted by Variety on Saturday at NYA West in Los Angeles, which honored the musicians, writers, producers, and music executives behind the top 25 singles of 2023, Billie Eilish, a previous multiple honoree, and her brother/collaborator Finneas accepted the Film Song of the Year Award for their Barbie ballad, "What Was I Made For." Short and brief, Eilish's acceptance speech was given in recognition of the category's presenter, Elton John's songwriting collaborator Bernie Taupin. She was wearing a blue satin Dodgers jacket. On the red carpet, she did, however, reveal that she had been in Variety's most recent "Power of Women" issue.

In her November cover story, Eilish had told Variety, “I’ve never really felt like I could relate to girls very well. I love them so much. I love them as people. I’m attracted to them as people. I’m attracted to them for real. … I’m physically attracted to them. But I’m also so intimidated by them and their beauty and their presence.”

On the red carpet Saturday, Variety correspondent Tiana DeNicola asked Eilish if she'd intended to come out as queer in the Variety profile, to which the indie-pop star gigglingly answered, “No, I didn't! But I kind of thought, wasn’t it obvious? I didn’t realize people didn’t know! I just don’t really believe in [coming out]. I’m just like, why can’t we just exist? I’ve been doing this for a long time, and I just didn’t talk about it.”

Although Eilish has hinted at her fluid sexuality in the past, most notably in her music video for "Lost Cause," which had some fans accusing her of queerbaiting and others praising her for seemingly coming out at that time, she was most recently romantically linked to Jesse Rutherford of the Neighbourhood. Eilish uploaded a behind-the-scenes shot from the session to Instagram shortly after the "Lost Cause" video debuted in June 2021, along with the statement, "I love girls."