Billie Eilish on Living with Tourette’s: ‘I’m Very Happy Talking about It’

The singer and songwriter was diagnosed at age 11.

By Karly Wood June 6, 2022

Billie Eilish is an award-winning singer and songwriter, and she also has Tourette’s Syndrome. The 20-year-old recently sat down with David Letterman for a new episode of his Netflix show, My Next Guest Needs No Introduction, and near the end the conversation turned towards Billie’s TS.

The topic came up as Billie experienced a tic, which took Letterman by surprise. But in his ever-gracious nature he asks the performer if it’s ok that they keep filming, as they will likely capture more tics on camera. “I don’t care,” she says.

She goes on to say that “I’m very happy talking about it…I really love answering questions about it because its very interesting and i’m incredibly confused by it and I don’t get it.” Admittedly, she shares that she gets offended when people respond to her tics and assume she’s trying to be funny when she isn’t.

Eilish was diagnosed with Tourette’s at age 11 after experiencing small tics throughout her childhood. Now as an adult she shares that most people likely wouldn’t notice her tics, that include wiggling an ear, raising her eyebrows and flexing certain arm and leg muscles. “For me, they’re very exhausting,” she tells Letterman.

She and Letterman discuss how she processed coming to terms with TS and how now it’s part of her. “I’ve made friends with it. So now, I’m pretty confident in it.” Eilish also shares that she doesn’t experience tics while she’s singing, performing or actively moving, like riding her horse or driving a go-kart, which the two do in the Netflix episode.

You can watch the entire 45-minute episode now as part of season four of My Next Guest Needs No Introduction with David Letterman only on Netflix.