A man posted online about moving into Billie Eilish’s mansion as a joke, then spent 30 hours at LAX explaining himself to immigration agents

Drew Pavlou, a 26-year-old Australian activist, says pop star Billie Eilish is responsible for him being blocked from entering the United States. He spent 30 hours dealing with immigration agents at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) before being denied entry and sent back to Australia. Pavlou believes Eilish’s legal team contacted the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to flag him before he arrived, though he has not provided any evidence to support this claim.

The trouble started after Eilish’s speech at the 68th Grammy Awards, where she said, “No one is illegal on stolen land,” and encouraged people to keep protesting because their voices “really do matter.” Some social media users quickly pointed out that Eilish’s own Malibu mansion sits on land that reportedly belonged to the Tongva tribe, a group with deep historical ties to the Los Angeles area. 

The San Gabriel Band of Mission Indians Gabrieleno Tongva also noted that they understand Eilish’s home is situated in their ancestral land. According to Newsweek, Pavlou, who calls himself a “performance artist,” responded to the perceived irony by posting online that he was moving into her home. He wrote, “Exciting news: I’ve decided to move into Billie Eilish’s $6 million Malibu beachfront mansion because no human being is illegal on stolen land. Thank you Billie for your generosity.”

The viral joke had very real consequences at the US border

On February 15, Pavlou was stopped by immigration agents at LAX. He later wrote, “I spent 30 hours at LAX immigration trying to explain that my s— posts were just a joke and that I didn’t actually plan to personally move into her mansion.”

He noted that most of the agents were “nice and laughed at the idea,” but they could not overturn the decision to deny him entry. It is worth noting that he was not technically deported; he was simply denied entry, which is a different thing under US immigration law.

Pavlou expressed frustration over the situation, speculating that “maybe evil leftists are still in charge of sections of the bureaucracy I guess some people are in fact actually illegal on stolen land.” His post about being denied entry went on to rack up over 14 million views online, with several prominent figures weighing in on the situation. Eilish has also faced scrutiny in other areas, including criticism her brother Finneas defended her against from powerful figures in the industry.

Despite the ordeal, Pavlou framed the whole experience as a success. “Honestly amazing performance art,” he said. “I somehow managed to get Billie Eilish and American liberals to endorse border control and deportations. The pain was worth it for the meme.” He also called himself “legitimately one of the most misunderstood theorists/artists of the 21st century.”

Pavlou is known for his past activism, particularly his vocal criticism of the Chinese government and the Chinese Communist Party. He was suspended from the University of Queensland in May 2020 following allegations of misconduct, though he returned the following year. He also started a political party and ran for the Australian Senate in the 2022 federal election but was not elected.

Not everyone online has been supportive of Pavlou’s take on the situation, with many critics saying he simply shared the posts for attention. Eilish herself had previously called for action following an ICE-related death in Minnesota, adding further context to why her Grammy speech drew such strong reactions. Regardless, the incident is a clear example of how an online joke can quickly lead to real-world consequences.