Billie Eilish opens up about her diagnosis and is ‘doing everything in her power’ to suppress it

Billie Eilish has opened up about living with Tourette's syndrome, revealing that she is "doing everything in her power" to suppress it.

The 24-year-old musician spoke candidly about her diagnosis during an appearance on Amy Poehler’s Good Hang podcast.

"I do have Tourette’s and I have vocal tics, but luckily for me, and for everyone else, they’re mostly just noises, and I can keep them pretty quiet," Eilish said.

The Grammy-winning star explained that suppressing her tics during public appearances takes constant effort.

"I go through phases of words becoming tics, but there’s a thing called suppressing, if you ever heard of it," she continued.

"When I’m in an interview, I’m doing everything in my power to suppress all of my tics constantly. And as soon as I leave the room, I have to let them all out," she added.

Tourette syndrome, often shortened to TS or Tourette’s, affects the brain and nerves and causes involuntary movements and sounds known as tics, according to the CDC.

Symptoms usually begin in childhood and can range from mild to severe, often changing over time.

Billie says people often misunderstand Tourette’s

During the podcast conversation, Poehler - best known for starring in the hit TV series Parks and Recreation - also discussed intrusive thoughts with Eilish, leading the singer to explain what Tourette’s can feel like from her perspective.

"Imagine those intrusive thoughts, but your mouth has to say them out loud, right? That is Tourette syndrome," she said.

The 'Ocean Eyes' star said one of the hardest parts of living with the condition is the way others react when they see her tic.

"I think what’s troubling about the way that people do not understand what Tourette’s is, if I start having a tic attack, like a lot of tics in a row, people are like, 'Are you OK?'" she said.

"This is very much normal. It’s like, if you didn’t see me tic today, you’re not looking at my knees, which are tic-ing constantly under this table, and my elbows that are like… I’m clenching my arms the entire time."

Eilish added that even while appearing relaxed on camera, she is constantly trying to stop visible tics.

"It’s because I’m currently on camera and I’m having a conversation, and I’m trying not to be distracting," she continued. "I’m really doing this the whole time – as much fun as I’m having – I’m doing everything I can to suppress every single tic that’s visible, from the top of my head to [my waist]."

"That’s how we, as people with Tourette’s, pretty much spend our days. Some people don’t even have the privilege of getting to suppress them at all in any way."

"The not understanding of that is really frustrating, as a person with Tourette’s," she added.

Singer previously called the condition 'very exhausting'

This is not the first time Eilish has spoken publicly about her diagnosis, which she received at age 11.

Back in 2022, the 'Bad Guy' hitmaker discussed Tourette’s during an appearance on David Letterman’s Netflix series My Next Guest Needs No Introduction.

When Letterman asked if she was comfortable discussing the condition, she admitted she had avoided talking about it publicly for years.

"It’s really weird, I haven’t talked about it at all. The most common way that people react is they laugh because they think I’m trying to be funny," she said.

"They think I’m [ticcing] as a funny move. And so they go, 'Ha,' and I’m always left incredibly offended by that. Or they go 'What?' and then I go, 'I have Tourette’s.'"

She also detailed some of the physical tics she experiences daily. "I never don’t tic at all, because the main tics that I do are constantly, like, I wiggle my ear back and forth and raise my eyebrow and click my jaw and flex this arm here and this arm there," she said.

"These are things you would never notice if you’re just having a conversation with me, but for me, they’re very exhausting," she added.

Featured image credit: Monica Schipper / Getty