Australian Activist Drew Pavlou Deported from US After Billie Eilish Stunt
Australian activist Drew Pavlou's viral performance art stunt targeting Grammy-winning singer Billie Eilish has culminated in his deportation from the United States. The 24-year-old Brisbane-born influencer attempted to enter the US on what he described as a "performance art" mission aimed at moving into the 'Wildflower' singer's Malibu mansion.
Pavlou's Claims and Immigration Ordeal
Recently, Pavlou took to X to share an update, claiming that Billie Eilish got him deported from America and suggesting her legal team contacted the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). He detailed spending 30 hours at LAX immigration trying to explain that his social media posts about Eilish's home were merely a joke and that he had no actual plans to trespass.
"Maybe evil leftists are still in charge of sections of the bureaucracy I guess some people are in fact actually illegal on stolen land And I guess I am just a BAD GUY…," he wrote in the X post, while also proclaiming himself one of the most "misunderstood theorists/artists of the 21st century."
In a following post, Pavlou revealed that immigration agents questioned him extensively on whether he planned to trespass on Billie Eilish's property or meet her, to which he replied negatively. The interrogation covered his past threats to the Chinese government and his 2022 arrest in London. Agents suggested he should have applied for a "business visa" for an invited appearance on Stephen Crowder's show in Texas.
"They didn’t ban me from the US but they said I have to apply with a different visa next time," Pavlou stated.
Background of the Performance Art Campaign
Drew Pavlou is a political activist and influencer who launched a crowdfunding campaign to fly to the US and move into Billie Eilish's Los Angeles mansion. In a previous X post, he shared a link to a now-defunct GoFundMe, writing, “I am flying to the USA next Friday to attempt to move into Billie Eilish’s beachside Malibu mansion. No human being is illegal on stolen land. Support my travel and filming costs here.”
The campaign initially raised about $3,000 before being deleted, as GoFundMe could not verify the connection and plan to transfer donations, according to an email Pavlou shared. He then started a new fundraiser on GiveSendGo, asking for approximately $2,840 to fly and buy the singer's beachfront home.
"Everything here is completely and totally legal, I am just going to set up a tent on her driveway and I will leave when they formally ask me to leave," Pavlou stated, echoing Eilish’s own words from her Grammy speech.
Billie Eilish's Grammy Speech and Context
At the 2026 Grammy Awards, Billie Eilish appeared wearing an 'ICE OUT' pin and delivered an anti-ICE speech while receiving her award. Addressing recent immigration enforcement, she said, “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,” adding, “And f-ck ICE, that's all I'm gonna say. Sorry!”
The singer faced backlash for her comments, with British journalist Julia Hartley-Brewer calling her a "blithering idiot" in an X post. Similar to Pavlou, GB News reporter Ben Leo visited her LA mansion asking to be let in, but was met with a massive locked fence.
Ironies and Misinformation in the Stunt
Ironically, Eilish currently lives on a ranch in Glendale, California, which sits on land historically belonging to the Tongva tribe, the Indigenous people of the greater Los Angeles Basin. The property Pavlou referred to was owned by her brother, Finneas O'Connell, and sold in 2022 for $5.6 million. Additionally, the mansion was destroyed in the Palisades fire, a fact Pavlou was unaware of while creating his campaign.
This incident highlights the complexities of immigration enforcement, celebrity activism, and the blurred lines between performance art and real-world consequences in the digital age.
