A CNN panelist called out “Hollywood jacka–es” on Monday over celebrities’ political speeches at the Grammy Awards and specifically took issue with Billie Eilish for speaking out about “stolen land.”
“I also get a little tired of Hollywood jacka–es coming out and telling us what to think,” Chris Madel, a former Republican gubernatorial candidate in Minnesota, said during the panel on “NewsNight.”
Madel ended his gubernatorial campaign in the state in January after a second protester was shot and killed during an immigration enforcement operation in Minneapolis. Madel said he couldn’t “support the national Republicans’ stated retribution on the citizens of our state.”
“Billie Eilish telling me that, you know, that it’s stolen land? I’d love to see her turn her keys back to her multimillion-dollar mansion to whomever’s going to come over and — and say that,” he continued.
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Eilish said “no one is illegal on stolen land” during her acceptance speech at the Grammy Awards on Sunday. She also said, “f— ICE.”
Christine Quinn, a former Democratic speaker on the New York City Council, pushed back and said that Madel didn’t have to listen.
Madel cited actress Jennifer Lawrence, who previously acknowledged that the public didn’t care what celebrities thought about politics.
“That is not true,” Quinn said. “Many people do care what celebrities say. If they didn’t care what celebrities say, why would both Republicans and Democrats often try to get celebrity endorsements? Bad Bunny is somebody who speaks in a really organic way to many parts of the American population, and people do care.”
“I actually think it was quite brave of Bad Bunny to do that because he has no idea how the Super Bowl might have reacted to him saying that,” she added. “Bruce Springsteen’s song, ‘The Streets of Minneapolis,’ is trending number one in the country. People do care!”
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Billie Eilish (right) was among the musicians to criticize the Trump administration and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) during the Grammy Awards on Sunday.
(Getty Images)
CNN host Abby Phillip also pushed back and pointed to rapper Nicki Minaj’s support of the Trump administration.
“Suddenly she’s the most popular person in MAGA world,” Phillip said, which multiple panelists agreed with.
Joe Borelli, a former Republican leader on the New York City Council, called political speeches at award shows “white noise.”
“I respect celebrities who take their fame and whatever they did — singing, acting, dancing, sports, whatever — and then actually enter the arena,” he said, pointing to multiple celebrities who have weighed in on politics.
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Bad Bunny accepts the award for Album of the Year for “Debí Tirar Más Fotos” during the 68th annual Grammy Awards on Sunday, Feb. 1, 2026, in Los Angeles.
“Billie Eilish, I looked it up, the city of Glendale is having city council elections in June. You want to talk about stolen lands? You want to have an opinion? Enter the arena! Get out there on a debate, do a town hall!” he said.
Stacey Schneider, a criminal defense trial lawyer, also supported the stars speaking out at the Grammys.
“They’re given a platform! And it’s really nice to see the First Amendment being exercised,” she said. “It’s been a — I think it’s been very many months of oppressed, oppressed speech, and I actually like that they went back and used their platform to speak out.”
Keith Boykin, a former Clinton White House aide, argued that President Donald Trump was the biggest celebrity in the country.
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U.S. President Donald Trump and musician Nicki Minaj hold hands onstage at the U.S. Treasury Department’s Trump Accounts Summit, in Washington, D.C., Jan. 28, 2026.
“You were talking about how you don’t care about what celebrities have to say, but the reality is, the biggest celebrity in the country is Donald Trump. Before he entered the arena, he led a five-and-a-half year campaign lying about President Obama‘s birth certificate,” Boykin said.
“So don’t tell me that you don’t care about what celebrities say. Donald Trump was a celebrity. He ran ‘Celebrity Apprentice’ for God’s sake. That was his television show.”
Boykin said it was courageous of celebrities to speak out “when we have a government that is arresting journalists, that’s locking up five-year-old kids and putting them in detention centers, that is killing American citizens.”
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Borelli said it wasn’t brave to speak out knowing that the audience was going to clap.
Original article source: CNN panel erupts after guest calls out ‘Hollywood jacka–es’ over political lectures at award shows
