Billie Eilish takes home TV Performance of the Year award for her role as a cult leader in Swarm at People's Choice Awards 2024
Billie Eilish was a big winner at the 49th annual People's Choice Awards as she walked away with an award for her acting debut.
The Bad Guy singer - who was recently honored at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival - took home the TV Performance of the Year for her work in the series Swarm.
The 22-year-old star's portrayal of cult leader Eva in the Prime miniseries pitted her against notable figures such as Meryl Streep, Ayo Edebiri, and Jon Hamm.
'Wow, that was crazy to see,' Eilish said in her acceptance speech. 'That was so insane to see all those names and then mine, and I'm here. This is fan-voted, and I want to say how grateful and lucky and privileged I am for that. Thank you so much.'
She praised her collaborators on the project, giving credit to the show's creators, Donald Glover and Janine Nabers, as well as star Dominique Fishback
Billie Eilish was a big winner at the 49th annual People's Choice Awards as she walked away with an award for her acting debut
The Bad Guy singer - who was recently honored at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival - took home the the TV Performance of the Year for her work in the series Swarm
'I just want to say thank you to Donald Glover for being my life-long inspiration and making me the artist that I am today,' Eilish began.
'I want to dedicate this to Dominique Fishback because that show is all about her, she continued. 'And she really carried the hell out of it. She taught me everything I know.
'That whole experience I owe to her. She deserves this more than I do. She's incredible, she is beautiful, she is talented, she should be cast in everything forever.'
She wrapped up the speech by thanking her mother for being her acting coach, and the people for voting for her.
Swarm made its debut in the early part of last year, bringing Fishback both acclaim and an Emmy nomination for her outstanding performance.
The storyline revolves around an obsessed fan Dre (Fishback) who resorts to murderous extremes in order to protect the reputation of her beloved pop star.
Eilish portrayed Eva, a subtly manipulative cult leader within an all-women group, ensnaring Dre under the pretense of 'female empowerment.'
Billie previously said the series' exploration of toxic fandom resonated with her, as she has experienced it as a global pop star in real life.
The 22-year-old star's portrayal of cult leader Eva in the Prime miniseries pitted her against notable figures such as Meryl Streep , Ayo Edebiri, and Jon Hamm .
Jeremy Renner presents The TV Performance of the Year award for Swarm to Billie
'I just want to say thank you to Donald Glover for being my life-long inspiration and making me the artist that I am today,' Eilish said
Eilish portrayed Eva, a subtly manipulative cult leader within an all-women group, ensnaring Dre under the pretense of 'female empowerment.'
The storyline revolves around an obsessed fan Dre (Fishback) who resorts to murderous extremes in order to protect the reputation of her beloved pop star
'That fan passion is so real, and it’s so beautiful, but it’s also really scary,’ she told Variety in June 2023.
'And I think the show is a metaphor for this power — how people really are in the delusional nature of, "She’s gonna see me and we’re gonna be best friends!" Fans are really, so powerful, and I think maybe they don’t realize how powerful they are.'
The Oscar winner revealed she wanted to try acting even before the opportunity with Swarm arose.
Despite both of her parents, Maggie Baird and Patrick O’Connell, being actors, she initially suppressed the aspiration, considering herself 'really bad' at it, per Variety.
It wasn't until Glover personally approached her about the role of Eva that she reconsidered and embraced the chance to explore acting.
Eilish's award win was a fun surprise at the People's Choice Awards, where Barbie and Oppenheimer AKA 'Barbenheimer' earned the most nods in the movie categories.
Margot Robbie and Ryan Reynolds flick is the top nominee with nine nominations including individual nods for the two leading stars.
Meanwhile, Christopher Nolan–directed Oppenheimer follows behind with six including recognitions for Cillian Murphy and Florence Pugh.
Billie showed off her quirky style on the red carpet
The Oscar winner revealed she wanted to try acting even before the opportunity with Swarm arose
Despite both of her parents, Maggie Baird and Patrick O’Connell, being actors, she initially suppressed the aspiration, considering herself 'really bad' at it, per Variety. It wasn't until Glover personally approached her about the role of Eva that she reconsidered and embraced the chance to explore acting
Halle Bailey and Billie looked like old friends at the gala
Billie took to her Instagram to share a snap with Ice Spice
Two weeks after her record breaking run at the Grammy Awards Taylor Swift leads all musicians with five nominations.
She was nominated for a range of categories including for her songs, social media presence, and even her The Eras Tour concert film which was a massive global hit at the box office.
Taylor was in interesting company as rapper Nicki Minaj and country musicians Luke Combs and Morgan Wallen also earned five nods.
When it comes to television Only Murders In The Building earned the most nominations including recognitions for Selena Gomez, Meryl Streep, and Steve Martin.
The reality show of the year category will be especially interesting as Vanderpump Rules will be the favorite coming off of the Scandoval scandal as it will be facing heavy competition including from Hulu's The Kardashians.
The event will be hosted by Marvel Cinematic Universe star Simu Liu who is best known for his roles in sitcom Kim’s Convenience as well as in Marvel’s Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.
He also portrayed one of the several Kens in the aforementioned $1.4billion blockbuster Barbie.
As hosting during award season has been a major talking point, the 34-year-old Chinese-Canadian actor told USA Today: 'It’s not about slandering anyone.
Barbie and Oppenheimer AKA 'Barbenheimer' has ruled award season and tonight's show is no exception as they earned the most nods in the movie categories
Two weeks after her record breaking run at the Grammy Awards Taylor Swift leads all musicians wife five nominations; she is pictured in March 2023
When it comes to television Only Murders In The Building earned the most nominations including recognitions for Selena Gomez, Meryl Streep (pictured), and Steve Martin
The event will be hosted by Marvel Cinematic Universe star Simu Liu (pictured in January) who is best known for his roles in sitcom Kim’s Convenience as well as in Marvel’s Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
'It’s not about getting the most offensive joke that you can possibly get away with. It’s not about being the guy that’s cutting other people down.'
The event will also see major presenters including musicians Victoria Monet and Kane Brown.
Kylie Minogue, Lainey Wilson and Lenny Kravitz are also set to perform on the telecast.
NBC and E! will air a two-hour live telecast of the 2024 People’s Choice Awards ceremony on on Sunday, Feb. 18, at 8 p.m. ET. The show can also be streamed on Peacock.