The ‘Shark Tank’ star warned celebrities who get political, such as the Grammy-winning singer, to “shut your mouth.”
By Carly Thomas
It seems the latest Hollywood beef is between Mark Ruffalo and Kevin O’Leary.
The Oscar-nominated actor, who has been very outspoken against Donald Trump and his aggressive immigration policies, took to Threads on Thursday to defend Grammy winner Billie Eilish, who used her acceptance speech on Sunday as an opportunity to slam ICE.
“Kevin O’Leary, why don’t you STFU. It’s hilarious,” The Avengers actor wrote. “You will go on any show and talk shit about any number of things and smugly expect us to listen to you, but you will dig into a real artist that dwarfs anything you dream of doing for actually saying something that resonates with 100’s of millions of people the world over. It’s astounding the fantasy double standard Kevin O’Leary lives in.”
“You played yourself well in Marty Supreme,” he added, referring to O’Leary’s role in the Josh Safdie-directed film, which saw him play Milton Rockwell, a cutthroat 1950s businessman and main antagonist.
Ruffalo’s remarks were specifically in response to the businessman and Shark Tank star’s recent warning to the “Wildflower” singer and other celebrities who decide to get political on a public stage.
“Half the people in politics that you piss off won’t buy your music anymore,” O’Leary said on Fox News’ America Reports on Tuesday. “Don’t be stupid about it, but hey, they don’t listen.”
He added, “It’s the first lesson 101 for celebrity: As you rise up, whether you’re a film star, a music star [or] whatever, shut your mouth and just entertain.”
On Sunday at the 2026 Grammys, Eilish used her time onstage after winning song of the year for “Wildflower” to speak out against the Trump administration’s intense and controversial immigration enforcement. She also wore an “ICE OUT” pin on her outfit.
“I feel so honored every time I get to be in this room,” she said in part. “And, 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. … It’s just really hard to know what to say and what to do right now, and I feel really hopeful in this room.”
Eilish then went on to urge the public to “keep fighting and speaking up and protesting,” before yelling, “Fuck ICE,” which was bleeped on the CBS telecast.
Bad Bunny, Shaboozey, and Olivia Dean were among other artists at the ceremony to make anti-ICE comments.
Ruffalo wasn’t the only star who came to Eilish’s defense, as her brother, Finneas O’Connell, also took to social media recently to clap back at haters.
“Seeing a lot of very powerful old white men outraged about what my 24-year-old sister said during her acceptance speech,” O’Connell wrote on Threads. “We can literally see your names in the Epstein files.”
