I’m sure you’ve heard by now, but Billie Eilish is dating Jesse Rutherford, the lead singer of the alternative band The Neighbourhood. Right off the bat, fans were already worried because Rutherford, 31, is eleven years older than Eilish, 20. For the last few months, they’ve been spotted engaging in heavy PDA by paparazzi, and let’s not forget about their infamous Halloween costume: Eilish dressed up as a baby while Rutherford’s costume was an old man — a nod to their age gap, which the internet has openly protested. The point is, their relationship has received tons of criticism from the get-go, despite that up until yesterday (Nov. 28), neither person confirmed they were dating.
The moment we’ve all been waiting for has arrived: Eilish finally announced she’s dating Rutherford in the sixth edition of her annual interview with Vanity Fair. In case you’re unaware of this popular series, basically, Eilish sits down with Vanity Fair on the same day every year, to document her growth and see how her answers to the same questions have changed. Even for non-fans, it’s actually super entertaining and interesting.
This year, fans hoped that Eilish would answer a question Vanity Fair has featured in a few of her previous interviews: “Do you have a boyfriend?” After Eilish expressed her hatred for relationships in the first interview and lied about not having a boyfriend in the second interview (which she admitted a year later), fans were curious if they’d include the question this time, given the public’s response to her alleged relationship with Rutherford.
Well, Vanity Fair has delivered — because Eilish not only announced that she’s dating Jesse Rutherford, but she was also pretty open about her happiness and excitement about the situation. “I managed to get my life to a point where I not only was known by a person that I thought was the hottest f*cking f*cker alive, but pulled his ass,” she said, proceeding to ask for a round of applause.
Then came the name-drop we were all waiting for: “Jesse Rutherford, everyone; I pulled his ass. All me. I did that sh*t! I locked that motherf*cker down,” she said. And if you expected the internet to sit quietly and be happy for Eilish, you’re mistaken — because people only became more worried for her after these comments.
Not only are people pointing out the — let’s call them inconsistencies — in saying Rutherford is the “hottest” person alive, but they’re also predicting Eilish and Rutherford’s impending breakup, due to their wide age gap.
Although the vast majority of people seem to disagree with Eilish’s comments, other users are asserting that we should leave her alone. “Despite not agreeing with the age difference, she really deserves to be happy and she is a grown woman who can make decisions for herself,” someone said. But regardless, across the board, there’s one thing in common — everyone seems to be convinced Rutherford will hurt Eilish, one way or another. Her Campus reached out to Eilish’s and Rutherford’s teams for comment, but did not hear back by the time of publication.
Whatever you believe is going on, one thing’s for sure: we’ll definitely be hearing some songs about Rutherford on Eilish’s new album. And whether that’s a sappy love song or another “Happier Than Ever,” you best believe I’ll be listening for any references to their relationship.