Resurfaced interview clip shows Billie Eilish opening up about her Tourette Syndrome
The singer was in an interview with David Letterman when she began ticking.
During an interview with David Letterman, Eilish began visibly having tics.
We’ve come a long way in our understanding and representation of chronic conditions. However, certain disorders, like Tourette Syndrome, remain mostly under mystery and stigma.
Symptoms of Tourette Syndrome revolve around involuntary, repetitive movements or sounds known as “tics,” such as facial grimacing, twitching, humming, jerking the head and yelling out phrases or even swear words. These behaviors, which aren’t the norm in most social interactions, have often been the punchline of a joke or resulted in bullying.
Over the years, several celebrities have come forward revealing themselves as having Tourette Syndrome in an effort to raise awareness of the neurological disorder, perhaps the most well known being pop idol Billie Eilish.
A year ago in May 2022, Eilish sat down for an interview with David Letterman for his Netflix show “My Next Guest Needs No Introduction” when she began visibly ticking. The conversation that sprung from that moment has recently resurfaced online, and it is a still great example of how we can avoid misconceptions with sensitivity.While on camera, Eilish experienced a tic where she quickly shook her head, prompting Letterman to ask if something was wrong. When she matter-of-factly stated what was happening—“I’m ticking”—Letterman began asking sincere, thoughtful questions.
First, he asked if something triggered it, to which Eilish replied it was the lights (bright, fluorescent, flickering and flashing lights are a common sensory trigger for Tourette’s). Previously the “Bad Guy” singer shared that her tics manifest less when she’s concentrated on something like performing or horseback riding, but otherwise, they are quite common.
“If you film me for long enough, you’re gonna see lots of tics,” she told Letterman.
Tics can understandably be easy to misinterpret, especially for those who don’t know much about Tourrette’s. Even Letterman admitted thinking that she was “fed up” and looking away on purpose.
“The most common way that people react is they laugh because they think I’m trying to be funny,” Eilish explained. “I’m always left incredibly offended by that.”
Letterman then shared his appreciation for Eilish including him in the conversation, along with concern as to whether or not he might have exacerbated the situation. On the contrary, Eilish was grateful to him for asking and with enthusiasm stated that she “loves answering questions about it.”
Watch:
Though diagnosed at age 11, Eilish didn’t go public about having Tourette’s until 2018, for fear of being identified solely through her condition. If this is a fear for an insanely popular music icon, imagine what it must be like for folks in everyday life.
In fact, the video prompted a lot of heartfelt responses in the comments section from those who either have Tourette's themselves, or have loved one who displays symptoms. Here are just a few:
"As someone who has Tourette’s, it can be really frustrating how misunderstood it is by the general population. I appreciate her being open about it and bringing attention to it."
"The worst reaction to my Tourettes is 'what the f**k is wrong with you?' Its honestly heartbreaking, and makes me hide away and avoid going out most of the time. And I'm not even on the high end of the spectrum, mine is more stress and anxiety induced, I could go months without ticking."
"When I was little, my parents would make fun of me in front of my siblings. Never realized how much of an effect it would have on me as an adult. Having a supportive inner circle is so important."
"Sometimes my tics are really bad during college, and I frequently get odd stares. I appreciate Billie being more open about it — maybe if more people knew, they’d react differently."
"I’m honestly so glad there's a celebrity as big as Billie who has Tourette’s and will make it more known to people because a lot of people don’t know what Tourette’s are."
This is why awareness is so important. Insensitive reactions can be more than just hurtful—they can steal away a person’s humanity. Tics or no tics, people deserve to be treated with respect. And often that begins with honest, compassionate conversations.
"Now your fishes will be warmed."
"To have one’s eyes lined with ham."
"To lay your head in water."
"Repetition teaches the donkey."
"I only understand train station."
"To speak directly from the liver."
"Horse horse, tiger tiger."
Beaver in water. Photo by 
An actual beaver dam on the now-thriving Price River
Medusa image of giant squid in Gulf of Mexico off of Mississippi Gulf CoastPhoto credit: 
Sign warning against feeding alligators next to alligator in Mississippi marshlandsCourtesy of Jacalyn Wetzel
Mississippi Gulf Coast beach in BiloxiCourtesy of Jacalyn Wetzel
2009 photo of giant squid caught in Gulf of Mexico near Mississippi GulfPhoto credit: 
Thank goodness this story has a happy ending.
There's a reason why some people can perfectly copy accents, and others can't
Turns out, there's a neurodivergent link.
A woman in black long sleeve shirt stands in front of mirror.
Have you ever had that friend who goes on vacation for four days to London and comes back with a full-on Queen's English posh accent? "Oooh I left my brolly in the loo," they say, and you respond, "But you're from Colorado!" Well, there are reasons they (and many of us) do that, and usually it's on a pretty subconscious level.
It's called "accent mirroring," and it's actually quite common with people who are neurodivergent, particularly those with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). According Neurolaunch, the self-described "Free Mental Health Library," "Accent mirroring, also known as accent adaptation or phonetic convergence, is the tendency to unconsciously adopt the accent or speech patterns of those around us. This linguistic chameleon effect is not unique to individuals with ADHD, but it appears to be more pronounced and frequent in this population."
Essentially, when people have conversations, we're constantly "scanning" for information—not just the words we're absorbing, but the inflection and tone. "When we hear an accent, our brains automatically analyze and categorize the phonetic features, prosody, and intonation patterns," writes Neurolaunch. For most, this does result in copying the accent of the person with whom we're speaking. But those with ADHD might be more sensitive to auditory cues. This, "coupled with a reduced ability to filter out or inhibit the impulse to mimic…could potentially explain the increased tendency for accent mirroring."
While the article explains further research is needed, they distinctly state that, "Accent mirroring in individuals with ADHD often manifests as an unconscious mimicry of accents in social situations. This can range from subtle shifts in pronunciation to more noticeable changes in intonation and speech rhythm. For example, a person with ADHD might find themselves unconsciously adopting a Southern drawl when conversing with someone from Texas, even if they’ve never lived in the South themselves."
People are having their say online. On the subreddit r/ADHDWomen, a thread began: "Taking on accents is an ADHD thing?" The OP shares, "My whole life, I've picked up accents. I, myself, never noticed, but everyone around me would be like, 'Why are you talking like that??' It could be after I watched a show or movie with an accent or after I've traveled somewhere with a different accent than my 'normal.'
They continue, "Apparently, I pick it up fast, but it fades out slowly. Today... I'm scrolling Instagram, I watch a reel from a comedian couple (Darcy and Jeremy. IYKYK) about how Darcy (ADHD) picks up accents everywhere they go. It's called ADHD Mirroring??? And it's another way of masking."
(The OP is referring to Darcy Michaels and his husband Jeremy Baer, who are both touring comedians based in Canada.)
Hundreds of people on the Reddit thread alone seem to relate. One comments, "Omfg I've done this my whole life; I'll even pick up on the pauses/spaces when I'm talking to someone who is ESL—but English is my first language lol."
Sometimes, it can be a real issue for those around the chameleon. "I accidentally mimicked a waitress's weird laugh one time. As soon as she was out of earshot, my family started to reprimand me, but I was already like 'oh my god I don’t know why I did that, I feel so bad.'"
Many commenters on TikTok were shocked to find out this can be a sign of ADHD. One jokes, "Omg, yes, at a store the cashier was talking to me and she was French. She's like 'Oh are you French too? No, I'm not lol. I'm very east coast Canada."
And some people just embrace it and make it work for them. "I mirror their words or phrase! I’m 30. I realized I start calling everyone sweetie cause my manager does & I work at coffee shop."