Billie Eilish Explained Why She Doesn't Sign Autographs After Being Booed by Fans

Billie Eilish is speaking out about why she stopped signing autographs for fans — and the backlash she's gotten because of it.

As noted by JustJared Jr., Billie recently stopped by Jimmy Kimmel Live! and was harassed by people waiting outside (including many adults!) for not signing autographs — they even reportedly boo'ed her when she declined to sign. Later, she took to a now-expired Instagram Story to explain why she doesn't sign autographs and to explain how the fan reaction made her feel. The interaction was captured on a video, and Billie used Stories to clear up what actually went down.

"The only reason I'm making this is because I saw video of this all happening and I just wanted to clarify what actually happened," she said. "If you watch the video, it literally looks like I'm walking by a bunch of fans and completely ignoring them and not saying hi to them, which is not at all what happened." According to Billie, there were two groups of people awaiting her arrival: her actual fans, and another group that Billie said was mostly "eBayers" and paparazzi. While she's more than happy to offer hugs and selfies, she doesn't sign autographs because, according to her, they end up being sold online.

“I didn’t sign anything. It’s something that I don’t do because I used to, but I realized all anyone did was sell everything that I signed, so I stopped doing that. It was kind of like a policy of mine that I don’t,” she said. The Daily Dot reports that Billie also said she prefers a more personal connection with fans. “I’d way rather get a hug and talk to you … than f*cking sign something so you can sell that sh*t,” she said in the Story.

"I started to walk away because I realized none of these people actually cared about anything that had to do with me as a person," Billie explained. "I walked over there only to say hi, only to hug people and I got pictures of me shoved into my f*cking face. I got no love whatsoever, so I left and then I got booed and [got] called a little b*tch and got told I was going to lose my Grammy nominations." They also told her "Lorde would've stopped," which is super-inappropriate, as is this behavior as a whole — especially from grown adults.

“The fact that people can switch up like that, damn," Billie continued. "They wait outside for you and then immediately they don’t get what they want and they boo you, and f*cking curse at you. I’m like ‘Bro, I’m 17.'" Billie then shared that she went back over to her real fans, who helped comfort her after the booing.

As always, it's important to remember that celebrities do not owe us anything: their time, their personal space, an autograph, or all of the above. They're people too, and they deserve respect. Billie appears to have moved past the incident; she closed her story with well wishes to those aforementioned adult men who booed her. "To the grown men that booed me and called me a 'little b*tch,' I hope the best for you," she said. "I hope you find someone else that you use to make money off of and belittle. All the best. Love you paparazzi."

Want more from Teen Vogue? Check this out: Billie Eilish Finally Got an Answer About Where We All Go When We Fall Asleep

Originally Appeared on Teen Vogue