Wolfgang Van Halen defends Billie Eilish for not knowing who Van Halen is
It's been a few weeks since Billie Eilish's infamous stint on "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" where she fumbled a Van Halen question. However, the internet still refuses to forget that she couldn't name a single member of the famous rock band.
In her defense, the "Bad Guy" singer is only 17.
During her Nov. 22 appearance, Kimmel and Eilish traded jabs about their respective ages before the 52-year-old host began grilling her on artists that were popular in 1984. While she knew who Madonna was, she looked up in confusion when Kimmel asked "Can you name a Van Halen member?"
"Who?" She instantly questioned, to which Kimmel quietly lamented, "I'm gonna start crying."
While Eilish also had no idea who Huey Lewis, Run DMC, or even what a Cabbage Patch Doll is, apparently not being well versed in Van Halen was the most unforgivable to slighted fans.
The internet's collective ire finally caught the attention Van Halen bassist Wolfgang Van Halen, who is also Eddie Van Halen's son.
The artist took to Twitter on Monday, writing, "If you haven’t heard of [Billie Eilish], go check her out. She’s cool. If you haven’t heard of [Van Halen], go check them out. They’re cool too."
He then dug into the meat of the issue by reminding fans, "Music is supposed to bring us together, not divide us. Listen to what you want and don’t shame others for not knowing what you like."
The tweet has since grabbed the attention of Smash Mouth, who also tweeted in support of Eilish on Monday.
Fans have since pointed out that Eilish was only 10 when Van Halen last came out with new music, 2012's "A Different Kind of Truth."
As of Tuesday, Eilish has not responded on social media.
