Singer Billie Eilish is facing renewed criticism after a 2019 interview resurfaced, in which she stated that parents who send their children to school are "lazy as f***." The comments, made in a Pitchfork "Over/Under" series clip, have been described by critics as "privileged" and out of touch with the realities faced by many families.
Eilish, who was homeschooled alongside her brother Finneas by their mother, Maggie Baird, has frequently praised her unconventional upbringing. The siblings have stated that their education focused on self-expression and allowed them the freedom to pursue music without the constraints of a traditional classroom curriculum. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, homeschooling is utilized by approximately 3.3 percent of K-12 students in the United States.
In the resurfaced interview, Eilish explained that her home education involved learning math through cooking with her mother and understanding construction from her father. She argued that many parents opt for traditional schooling because they do not wish to personally educate their children. "I mean, there's a lot of ways to do it. I think some people do it the wrong way, which just makes your life horrible and miserable and boring," Eilish said. "And that's mainly because parents are lazy as f*** - that's why they send their kids to school in the first place: 'I don't want to teach you, b****.'"
Her remarks quickly drew a divided response online. Many commenters accused Eilish of overlooking the financial and logistical challenges that prevent most parents from homeschooling, such as full-time work obligations. "That's such a privileged thing to say," one critic wrote. Another pointed out the perceived contradiction: "Sooo if parents are supposed to teach their homeschooled kids everything, when do they have time to go to work and provide for the household? This only works if you're highly privileged already."
Some social media users defended Eilish's perspective, suggesting that while her delivery may have been poor, the underlying point about parental involvement in education held some validity. Others expressed agreement, with one commenter stating, "Maybe y'all don't like her delivery but a lot of parents used public school to raise their kids and not just educate them on world affairs and that's why we have the problems we do now."
In the same 2019 interview, Finneas echoed Eilish's positive views on homeschooling, emphasizing its role in self-discovery and fostering independence from peer validation. Their mother, Maggie Baird, highlighted the flexibility of homeschooling, likening it to a college experience where children can pursue their interests. Billie and Finneas's father, Patrick O'Connell, previously told The New York Times that he and his wife were inspired to homeschool their children after learning about the educational approach of the band Hanson.