News | Entertainment
7 Jan 2026 18:52
NZCity News
NZCity CalculatorReturn to NZCity

  • Start Page
  • Personalise
  • Sport
  • Weather
  • Finance
  • Shopping
  • Jobs
  • Horoscopes
  • Lotto Results
  • Photo Gallery
  • Site Gallery
  • TVNow
  • Dating
  • SearchNZ
  • NZSearch
  • Crime.co.nz
  • RugbyLeague
  • Make Home
  • About NZCity
  • Contact NZCity
  • Your Privacy
  • Advertising
  • Login
  • Join for Free

  •   Home > News > Entertainment

    Billie Eilish has "made friends" with having Tourette's syndrome

    The 20-year-old singer was diagnosed with the neurological condition - which causes involuntary movements, twitches and sounds - when she was just 11 years old after experiencing "small" tics as a child and although she doesn't "like" it, she's grown to view her affliction as a "part of" her


    She said: "It's not like I like it, but I feel like it's part of me. I have made friends with it. And so now, I'm pretty confident in it. When I'm moving around, I'm not ticcing at all. When I'm riding my horse, I'm not ticcing. When I'm moving and thinking and focusing, when I'm singing [I'm not ticcing]."

    But the 'bad guy' hitmaker admitted she gets "incredibly offended" when people laugh at her tics or think she's making the movements on purpose.

    Speaking on 'My Next Guest Needs To Introduction', she told host David Letterman: "It's really weird. I haven't talked about it like at all. The most common way that people react is they laugh because they think I'm trying to be funny. They think I'm going like [imitates one of her tics] as, like, a funny move.

    "So they go like 'Ha!' and I am always left incredibly offended by that or they [turn their head behind them] and go 'What?' And then I go, 'I have Tourette's'.

    Billie was fascinated to learn other musicians also have the condition.

    She said: "What's funny is so many people have it that you would never know. A couple artists came forward and said, 'I've actually always had Tourette's,' and I'm not going to out them because they don't want to talk about it, but that was actually really interesting to me. I was like 'You do?! What?' "

    The 'Ocean Eyes' hitmaker finds her tics "very exhausting" but admitted people rarely notice them when they are in conversation with her.

    She said: "I actually really love answering questions about it because it's very, very interesting and I am incredibly confused by it and I don't get it.

    "I never don't tic at all, because the main tics that I do constantly all day long are like are like, I wiggle my ear back and forth, and raise my eyebrow, and click my jaw and do that, and like flex my arm here, and flex this arm, and flex these muscles.

    "These are things you would never notice if you're just having a conversation with me. But for me, they're very exhausting."

    © 2026 Bang Showbiz, NZCity

     Other Entertainment News
     07 Jan: Tommy Lee Jones' daughter has died, according to reports
     07 Jan: Scott Wolf called 2025 "the hardest year of my life", after dropping a restraining order against his wife Kelley
     07 Jan: Queen Camilla has spoken for the first time about how she fought off a sex attacker when she was a teenager
     07 Jan: Ella Purnell loves stunt work
     07 Jan: Katy Perry is "very particular" about fragrance
     07 Jan: Chevy Chase is the rudest celebrity Marina Zenovich has ever interviewed
     07 Jan: Sean Astin has stepped in to help Tylor Chase
     Top Stories

    RUGBY RUGBY
    It's au revoir for AJ Lam after the upcoming Super Rugby season More...


    BUSINESS BUSINESS
    Dairy prices have risen for the first time in months More...



     Today's News

    Motoring:
    Police are urging drivers to slow down, saying they've seen worrying speeds in the Manawatu region over the past couple of weeks 18:37

    Environment:
    A warning - severe thunderstorms, torrential rain, hail and lightning has been issued for parts of Gisborne 18:37

    Entertainment:
    Tommy Lee Jones' daughter has died, according to reports 18:23

    Soccer:
    A date has been set for Auckland FC's postponed away game against Sydney FC in the men's A-League 18:07

    Environment:
    Heatwave conditions likely to bring increase of flies and maggots 17:57

    Entertainment:
    Scott Wolf called 2025 "the hardest year of my life", after dropping a restraining order against his wife Kelley 17:53

    Tennis:
    Third seed Iva Jovic and Brit Francesca Jones are through to the ASB Classic quarter-finals after the day session on day three 17:47

    Entertainment:
    Queen Camilla has spoken for the first time about how she fought off a sex attacker when she was a teenager 17:23

    Environment:
    A strong earthquake has hit the Phillippines 16:57

    Entertainment:
    Ella Purnell loves stunt work 16:53


     News Search






    Power Search


    © 2026 New Zealand City Ltd