Finneas Defends Sister Billie Eilish Against 'Queerbaiting' Accusations Following Charli XCX Collab

Finneas doesn’t appreciate the criticism his sister and frequent collaborator Billie Eilish has been receiving over her latest collaboration.

On Thursday, 22-year-old Eilish and 32-year-old Brat singer Charli XCX teamed up on a remix of "Guess," a flirty club banger where the two women sing about guessing the color of each other’s underwear and what else might be going on down there.

One of the most viral lyrics from the track comes in Billie’s verse, when she sings, "Charli likes boys, but she knows I’d hit it," before playfully whispering, "Charli, call me if you’re with it."

At the end of the music video for the track, Eilish is seen driving through piles of panties with a tractor, and a brief message appears on the screen stating that the unworn undergarments used in the video will be donated to survivors of domestic violence through the U.S.-based non-profit I Support The Girls.

While both hitmakers likely hoped that the focus would be on the charitable cause, an unfortunate narrative about Eilish’s alleged queerbaiting emerged online, overshadowing the discussion about the track.

"Queerbaiting" refers to a marketing tactic that hints at LGBTQ+ representation without actually delivering on it, according to Health.com. This often involves suggesting potential queerness in TV, movies, music, or literature through flirty interactions, only to later reveal these relationships as platonic or non-existent.

"Billie’s verse on 'Guess' is highkey predatory, but y’all blinded by her usual queerbaiting for commercial gain," one user on TikTok wrote, as seen in a screenshot shared online. "Ever since the 'Lost Cause' controversy, she’s been reducing girls to mere objects, all in an effort to convince the masses that she’s actually into them lol. Charli is 32 and engaged FYI."

"What a take you little clown," Finneas, 27, reportedly responded in the post's comments. "I got to watch the entire internet slam my sister for queer-baiting for an entire year when in reality, you were all forcing her to label and out herself."

Finneas is referring to the media frenzy that played out in headlines late last year regarding his sister’s sexual orientation. In an interview published last November, the Hit Me Hard and Soft singer told Variety that she "never felt like a woman" despite using she/her pronouns, and opened up about her attraction to women.

"I love them so much," Eilish said. "I love them as people. I’m attracted to them as people. I’m attracted to them for real … I’m physically attracted to them. But I’m also so intimidated by them and their beauty and their presence."

The following month, Eilish was asked about her recent coming out on the red carpet at Variety’s Hitmakers event. She responded, "I kind of thought, wasn't it obvious? I didn't realize people didn't know. I just don't really believe in it. I'm just like, why can't we just exist? I've been doing this for a long time, and I just didn't talk about it."

Following the interview, the 9-time Grammy winner called out Variety on her Instagram for "outing me on a red carpet at 11 am instead of talking about anything else that matters."

"I like boys and girls leave me alone about it please literally who cares stream 'what was i made for,'" she added.

On the other hand, Charli XCX became engaged to The 1975 drummer George Daniel last November, according to People. The two went public with their relationship in May 2022.