David Letterman Asked Billie Eilish If She Wanted To Stop Her Interview After She Started To Twitch Because Of Her Tourettes Syndrome
David Letterman was viewed as the king of Late Night by millions. However, not all of his past interviews were positive. Letterman showed no interest in his interview with Marilyn Manson, and he would also get a little too personal with certain guests, like asking Jennifer Aniston about her love life.
However, in this particular instance, David Letterman was praised for his conduct alongside Billie Eilish. A certain topic of conversation was brought up and clearly, it wasn't part of the interview. Letterman respectfully asked for permission to discuss it, and also considered cutting the part Eilish wasn't comfortable with it.
We'll take a look back at how it all went down, and how Eilish opened up about her struggles with Tourette's syndrome. We're also going to reveal what fans had to say about the interview moment. In truth, it wasn't the first time David Letterman had the back of one of his guests.
Billie Eilish Opened Up About Her Tourette's Syndrome Speaking To David Letterman
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Billie Eilish performs
It wasn't part of her interview with David Letterman, but suddenly, Eilish started to twitch. The singer stated, “If you film me for long enough, you’re gonna see lots of tics,” Eilish told Letterman.
The singer admitted that she was diagnosed with Tourette's at the age of 11, and a lot of others who share the same condition don't even realize they have it.
“What’s funny is so many people have it that you would never know,” Eilish said. “A couple artists came forward and said, ‘I’ve actually always had Tourette’s,’ and I’m not gonna out them because they don’t wanna talk about it, but that was actually really interesting to me.”
Eilish revealed that the most common reaction to it from her peers and others is to laugh, given that it seems as though she's playing it up.
“The most common way that people react is they laugh because they think I’m trying to be funny…and I’m always left incredibly offended by that,” Eilish said.
Thankfully for Eilish, it isn't a distraction during her performances, given that she's already moving around.
“When I’m moving around, I’m not even ticcing at all,” she explained.
David Letterman Was Praised For The Way He Handled Billie Eilish's Twitches
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David Letterman at a Disney+ event
"What's going on, there's a fly," Letterman asked when Eilish twitched during the interview. When Eilish revealed it was a tic, David handled it in the best way possible.
He said, "Is that okay, or not okay," Letterman asked about showing her tics on-air. Eilish agreed that it was okay, and then Letterman would ask her permission to discuss it further. Billie was happy to talk about.
“I really love answering questions about it because it’s very, very interesting, and I am incredibly confused by it,” Eilish said. “I don’t get it.”
The interview moment has more than four million views on YouTube, with fans praising Letterman for his approach during the sitdown.
One fan writes, "I''m so shocked to see an interviewer have so much respect and kindness towards someone, especially someone with a health problem. Absolutely love this and I'm so happy she's comfortable enough to talk about it and not feel the need to hide."
Another fan commented, "What an amazing interview. Asking if she’s okay to answers his questions, then asking if she’s comfortable. So respectful and refreshing to see."
"The way he asked permission before proceeding to discuss about Billie’s Tourettes."
Although Letterman has an up and down history when it comes to his past interviews, fans were delighted with his approach. In truth, it wasn't the first time he stood up for a guest.
It Wasn't The First Time David Letterman Stood Up For A Guest
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david letterman
At times, David Letterman came across as rude with certain guests. However, he also stood up for some behind the scenes. A classic example was Letterman banning guest Harmony Korine after he caught the guest looking into Meryl Streep's purse.
Letterman revealed during his interview with James Franco, "I went upstairs to greet Meryl Streep and welcome her to the show, and I knock on the door … and she was not in there," he said. "And I looked around, and she was not in there, and I found Harmony going through her purse. True story. And so I said: 'That's it, put her things back in her bag and then get out.'"
Franco revealed that Korine was likely in a bad place at the time, and was able to get his stuff together years later. Nonetheless, he wasn't invited back to the Late Show and the ban was withheld until the end of the Letterman's stint on late night television.
