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Who is Emily Austin? 5 facts on MAGA influencer viral over Billie Eilish's ‘ICE Out’ Grammy speech
Emily Austin went viral reacting to Billie Eilish’s criticism of immigration raids at Grammys. She also later defended her stance. Here's what we know on her.
As singer Billie Eilish hit out at the ongoing immigration raids in the US, a conservative commentator and sports host went viral for livestreaming her reaction to it.
Emily Austin, who hosts boxing events on DAZN and is a popular conservative influencer on social media, is now being hailed by MAGA accounts for the reaction.
At the same time, she has also been on the receiving end of criticism, something she mentioned in the initial X post where she posted her viral reaction.
"Despite all the hate I got, I love America. Even Bad Bunny’s Grammy speech honored the dream of those who had to leave their homes to succeed — IN AMERICA," she wrote. On Monday, she again defended the video in an appearance on Fox News, where she claimed that many people lauded her for being "brave" with her comments on the speech.
"It's all fake," she said about the criticism. "How many people approached me, whispered, 'you're so brave, we agree with you.' If only they spoke up!" Austin added.
Who Is Emily Austin? Here Are 5 Interesting Facts On Her
1. She is from Long Island, New York: Austin grew up on Long Island, New York, and now lives in Brooklyn.
2. She has Israeli-American roots: She comes from a family with Israeli roots and was raised with Jewish traditions such as keeping kosher and observing Shabbat. She attended North Shore Hebrew Academy and later studied journalism at Hofstra University.
3. She is known for her pro-Israel stance: She has advocated on issues like antisemitism and support for Israel. She worked with the Israeli mission to the United Nations.
4. Her journalism career: Austin began gaining prominence in 2021 by reaching out to professional athletes while still a college student and hosting interviews on Instagram.
Her first web show, “Daily Vibes with Emily Austin” emerged from the Instagram interviews. It landed her opportunities with MTV and Sports Illustrated. She later launched the NBA podcast 'The Hoop Chat w/ Emily Austin.' She joined DAZN in 2024.
Also read: Trevor Noah Trump comment: Full Jeffrey Epstein joke that landed Grammys host in trouble; watch
5. She has over 4 million followers on social media.
What Billie Eilish Said
Billie Eilish attended the Grammy Awards 2026 in Los Angeles with an 'ICE Out' pin on her coat. Standing along with her brother, FINNEAS, as she accepted the Grammy for Song of the Year for “Wildflower,” she hit out at the ongoing ICE raids.
As grateful as I feel, I honestly don’t feel like I need to say anything but that no one is illegal on stolen land,” she said. “And, yeah, it’s just really hard to know what to say and what to do right now, and I feel really hopeful in this room, and I feel like we just need to keep fighting and speaking up and protesting, and our voices really do matter, and the people matter, and f*** ICE.
