Jimmy Kimmel made Billie Eilish look 'stupid' in a 2019 interview — she got the last laugh two years later
Jimmy Kimmel is widely regarded as one of the best talk show hosts of today, who makes sure to have an interesting and entertaining chat with his guests. However, there have been instances when the host missed the mark and, instead of making his celebrity guest look great, he ended up doing exactly the opposite of that. However, Billie Eilish is not the one to sit back, as the Grammy winner not only called out Kimmel for making her look dumb but also made sure he never underestimated her again.
During an earlier appearance on 'Jimmy Kimmel Live!,' a then 17-year-old Eilish discussed her historic Grammy nominations, her first award show performance, and turning 18, per E! News. However, what grabbed the massive attention of the viewers was when Kimmel asked if she could name a member of Van Halen, to which she innocently responded, "Who?" Kimmel jokingly replied, "I'm going to start crying." Social media users quickly criticized Eilish for not knowing the legendary rock band, despite the fact that Van Halen was formed in 1972, nearly three decades before she was born.
However, during her October 2021 appearance on 'Jimmy Kimmel Live!' Eilish couldn’t resist bringing up the viral Van Halen moment to playfully call out the host, as per Fox News. "Wait, really quick," Eilish said with a smile. "Do you remember the last time I was here?" When Kimmel confirmed, she continued, "And you made me look a little stupid." A flustered Kimmel responded, "Well, yeah, accidentally. I didn't do it on purpose." Eilish reassured him that she found the situation amusing despite the online backlash. "I thought it was funny because I was playing along, and everybody thought I was actually serious and didn't know anything," she said before admitting, "I genuinely had no clue who Van Halen was at the time."
Eilish tried to get her revenge on Kimmel by asking him questions on Gen Z pop culture, but she struggled to come up with good questions on the spot. Instead, the show moved on to a segment that gave her a better chance at payback. Kimmel revealed a copy of a bucket list Eilish wrote when she was 12 in 2014. While she had already accomplished some items, like "meet Justin Bieber" and "zipline over a city," others provided opportunities for Kimmel to help her check them off, such as "cut an audience member’s hair." But the standout item was "punch someone." "I think you should punch me because I'm probably the strongest person here," Kimmel joked. "Hit me as hard as you want in the stomach."
Eilish didn’t hesitate and struck Kimmel in the stomach. Fortunately, he took the hit without much damage, but the moment gave Eilish a fun way to get back at him Fans were obviously on Eilish's side and showered her with love and appreciation under the YouTube video posted by the official channel of 'Jimmy Kimmel Live.' A fan said, "I absolutely loved how she goes, "You made me look a little stupid," makes a face, and does it right back to him. QUEEN," while another shared, "I literally died at "Excuse me, miss, did you just punch that elderly man" hahahhahahhaha." Another comment reads, "Omg punch him billie Make him feel Uhg this is so hurt hahahahahha."