Billie Eilish Discusses Her Experience Living With Tourette Syndrome

Billie Eilish spoke with David Letterman on his Netflix show My Next Guest Needs No Introduction about what it has been like living with Tourette syndrome.

Letterman became curious after noticing a tic from Eilish during their interview and initially believing it was her reaction to a fly in the room. “If you film me for long enough, you’re gonna see lots of tics,” she said, per Billboard. Tourette syndrome is defined by Mayo Clinic as “a disorder that involves repetitive movements or unwanted sounds (tics) that can’t be easily controlled.” The Happier Than Ever artist was diagnosed at the age of 11.

Eilish said she has felt “incredibly offended” by the common reaction to her experiencing a tic. “The most common way that people react is they laugh because they think I’m trying to be funny…and I’m always left incredibly offended by that,” she explained.

In a 2019 interview on the Ellen show, Eilish mentioned that she tries to “let out” her tics when the interviewer is asking her questions during a pre-taped segment since those parts are typically cut out. However, there was one interview where her tics weren’t cut out and viewers thought she was trying to be funny.

Billie told Letterman that some artists have confessed to her that they also have Tourette syndrome, but she was “not gonna out them because they don’t wanna talk about it.”

She opened up further about her own personal experiences, saying some tics have gone away over time, while others are so subtle you wouldn’t notice them during a conversation with her. Eilish said she doesn’t experience tics when she’s moving around and it doesn’t happen while performing. The Academy Award winner admitted she’s “very happy to talk about it,” adding, “It’s very, very interesting, and I am incredibly confused by it. I don’t get it.”