Who is Emily Austin? Influencer facing backlash after criticising Billie Eilish

Conservative commentator Emily Austin has been widely criticised over a viral video she posted of herself at the Grammys reacting to Billie Eilish calling out US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in her acceptance speech.

Eilish won Song of the Year for her track ‘Wildflower’ at the awards ceremony this past weekend, where she used her speech to make her stance clear on the ongoing political unrest in the US, as the Trump administration has enforced its controversial immigration crackdown.

"I feel so honoured every time I get to be in this room. As grateful as I feel, I honestly don’t feel like I need to say anything but that no one is illegal on stolen land.

“And, yeah, it’s just really hard to know what to say and what to do right now, and I feel really hopeful in this room, and I feel like we just need to keep fighting and speaking up and protesting, and our voices really do matter, and the people matter, and f*** ICE."

The singer's speech received loud cheers and applause - but Austin, who was also sitting in the audience, appeared less than impressed with the message as she mimicked Eilish saying "F*** ICE."

"I'm so edgy, I said f*** ICE, oh my God, haha", Austin said to the camera, which she posted on X/Twitter that has since gone viral.

In the caption, she added that Eilish's speech was "Painful to listen to."

Social media users soon criticised Austin for posting the video and her political views; they also asked why she attended the awards show in the first place.

One person said, "Notice how she’s up on stage and you’re not."

"If you’re the only 2 people in a room of hundreds complaining while everyone else is celebrating… you might be the a**hole," a second person said.

A Billie Eilish fan account responded, "Billie was winning a Grammy while you were recording yourself for attention."

"She thought this was tuff LMAO," a fourth person posted.

A fifth person responded, "They just let anyone in the grammys like who even are u."

Who is Emily Austin?

Emily Austin is a 24-year-old conservative influencer and sports journalist covering boxing events with DAZN, and basketball. She's also the owner of skincare company People’s Beauty.

Austin was born in Brooklyn, New York, to Israeli parents and grew up in Long Island.

She completed her studies at Hofstra University, where she was "known for her pro-Israel activism", and in 2023 interned at the Israeli Mission to the UN, according to The Times of Israel.

As for her political views, Austin describes herself as “conservative as it gets." She has interviewed President Donald Trump, and has been pictured with Vice President JD Vance, and Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

Before the New York City mayoral election last year, Austin shared her support for Andrew Cuomo with the launch of the "Hot Girls for Cuomo" campaign as the former Democratic Governor faced democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani in the election (which he ultimately lost to Mamdani).

In 2023, Austin was part of the 2023 Miss Universe judging panel.

At the time of writing, Austin has 3 million followers on Instagram, 563,000 followers on TikTok, and over 165,000 followers on X.

Austin hits back at critics

In response to all the criticism, Austin took to X/Twitter once again to address the hate and double down on her political beliefs.

"Despite all the hate I got, I love America. Even Bad Bunny’s Grammy speech honored the dream of those who had to leave their homes to succeed — IN AMERICA. This country is a place of opportunity — and it wouldn’t be what it is without our law enforcement who protect our freedoms," she wrote.

Resharing a clip of Bad Bunny's acceptance speech, Austin added, "'I want to dedicate this award to all the people who had to leave their homeland, their country to follow their dream”- Bad Bunny

"Yes, they left their homes to chase dreams — and those dreams came true in the United States."

She shared another post which included a photo of herself from the Grammys showing the jewellery she was wearing with the caption, "ICE out? Nah, I’m ICED OUT."

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