Billie Eilish has spoken candidly about the daily reality of living with Tourette syndrome, describing the exhausting effort it takes to control her tics on camera and the frustration of being misunderstood.
Talking about Amy Poehler good time On the May 5 podcast, the singer explained that while she feels comfortable with her condition, the lack of awareness from others remains difficult.
“When I’m in an interview, I do everything in my power to suppress all my tics, constantly,” he said. “And as soon as I leave the room, I have to let everyone out.”
Eilish described her experience with Tourette syndrome in a way that captures both its complexity and its often invisible nature.
“Intrusive thoughts, but your mouth has to say them out loud,” he said. His vocal tics are mostly small sounds that he can keep “pretty quiet”, although certain words can also become tics, forcing him to actively suppress them during interviews.
He also addressed one of the most common misconceptions he encounters: the assumption that when you have a tic attack, something must be wrong.
“If I start having a tic attack or something, like a lot of tics in a row… people say, ‘Are you okay?’ You know, this is very normal.”
He also deals with people who completely doubt their diagnosis, because their tics are not always visible or do not match the stereotypes that most people associate with the condition.
His tics in his knees, elbows and hands are constant, he said, but they go unnoticed.
The energy required to control your condition in public is considerable.
“I’m doing everything I can to suppress every visible tic, from the top of my head to about here,” he said, pointing to his ribcage.
“And that’s how we, as people with Tourette syndrome, spend our days.”
He added that not everyone has that option.
“Some people don’t even have the privilege to suppress them, in any way,” he said, and the fact that many people don’t understand that is, in his words, “frustrating.”
Eilish’s new concert film, Billie Eilish — Hit Me Hard and Soft: The Tour (Live in 3D)opens in theaters on Friday, May 8.
