A faction of Billie Eilish’s fans have only just discovered who her parents are, and they are stunned.
The 23-year-old songstress, who first stepped onto the scene in 2015 at the age of 14 with her Ocean Eyes debut, has held the public’s rapt attention ever since—but her fans, it appears, have given little thought to who her parents might be.
Highlights
- Many only just discovered that both Billie Eilish’s parents were working actors with roles in Friends, X-Files, Iron Man, and The West Wing.
- The revelation sparked questions about Billie’s rise to fame, with some fans asking, “So Billie is a nepo baby?”
- Maggie Baird dismissed the label as “hilarious,” emphasizing she was a working-class actress.
It turns out that both her mother and father have appeared in high-grossing films and series, including Friends and X-Men.
Eilish’s parents have appeared in The X-Files, Friends, and Iron Man
Image credits: Jason Armond/Getty
Eilish’s mom, Maggie Baird, now 66, appeared in the 1999 season of Friends as the casting director overseeing Joey’s (played by Matt Le Blanc) attempts to make extra money through acting to pay for his medical bills.
Prior to that, she appeared in the 1989 movie An Innocent Man, The X Files, Six Feet Under, and Bones, among others.
Eilish’s father, Patrick O'Connell, on the other hand, was cast for the 2008 installment of Iron Man and has credits in The West Wing, Life Inside Out, Baskets, and Hunter.
Image credits: Kevin Mazur/Getty
In response to these revelations, social media is wondering: “So Billie is a Nepo Baby?”
Mom Maggie Baird insists that Billie Eilish is no nepo baby
The answer to this question, according to Maggie, is no.
Speaking to Glamour Magazine for their Women of the Year: The Moms issue, she said she found the suggestion “hilarious.”
Image credits: Paramount
“Because that came out, and it was like, ‘Oh, Billie is a nepo baby.’ And I’m like, ‘Did you know that I got that episode of ‘Friends’ because I was about to lose my health insurance?”
Baird described herself and her husband as “working-class actors.”
The actress’s mom claims that most actors are unknown, and some of them cannot even live off their trade
Image credits: Life Inside Out / Prime Video
Baird further explained that not everyone who makes it to television is wealthy. “We eked out a meager living, and it afforded us a lot of time with our kids, which was awesome.
“The industry is primarily people like us or even people not even like us who couldn’t even make a living.
“So when all of this happened to our kids, we’d never been on that side of it,” she said, referring to life enjoyed by show business’ A-listers.
Billie Eilish’s family is what keeps her “sane”
Image credits: Warner Bros
Speaking about her daughter’s dizzying successes, Baird indicated that it takes some getting used to.
“People would always say to me, ‘Is your mind blown that Billie is playing Radio City or Madison Square Garden?
“And I was like, ‘My mind was blown when she played The Hi Hat in Highland Park [A 300-capacity club located in Los Angeles]. It’s all relative. You feel it all,” she told the outlet.
She went on to say that despite the fame, her family consists of normal people. She suggested that the public made Eilish’s fame what it is today.
Image credits: billieeilish
“You step onstage in front of 100,000 people, and that’s an hour and a half, and then the rest of the time you’re at the dinner table and your brother is giving you sh*t. The family part is the part that keeps it sane.”
Social media says the singer does not strike them as a nepo baby
Despite the initial speculations about her being a nepo baby, Eilish’s fans appear steadfast in their support for her.
“Her mom was on one episode of Friends, not a recurring role and some other episodes of other shows. I didn't even know her name and I won't even remember her name. No nepotism,” reasoned one supporter.
Image credits: billieeilish
“I think it’s funny when anyone thinks that anyone famous isn’t somehow connected to the industry,” wrote another.
One netizen, apparently chagrined by Eilish, picked up the baton for the opposing point of view when they wrote:
“I think the majority of these celebrities are nepotism babies.”
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