Australian political activist and performance artist Drew Pavlou recently tried to travel to singer Billie Eilish’s mansion in Malibu, intending to stay there. However, his plans took a dramatic turn when he was detained for 30 hours at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) before being deported back to Australia.

Pavlou, who launched a viral crowdfunding campaign earlier this month to “move into” the pop star’s 6 million dollar home, as previously reported by The Dallas Express, arrived at LAX on February 14 under a visa waiver program. But instead of beginning his planned “performance art” stunt, he was flagged by customs officers and held for more than a day before being sent back home.

Immigration officials allegedly cited his history of political activism and plans to film content during his visit as reasons for denying him entry into America.

The LAX lockup stems from Pavlou’s first X post on February 1, which has pulled in over 150,000 likes, jokingly announcing his plans to start a new life at Eilish’s mansion.

 

Ironically, those plans would fall through when Pavlou himself was deported after a 30-hour hold by customs agents at LAX.

“Honestly most of the agents were nice and laughed at the idea but there was nothing I could do, maybe evil leftists are still in charge of sections of the bureaucracy

I guess some people are in fact actually illegal on stolen land

And I guess I am just a BAD GUY….

Honestly I am legitimately one of the most misunderstood theorists/artists of the 21st century,” the remainder of his post read.

Pavlou declared the trip a success despite never setting foot outside the airport, noting the irony.

“Honestly amazing performance art, I somehow managed to get Billie Eilish and American liberals to endorse border control and deportations,” he added. “The pain was worth it for the meme.”

As of press time, it remains unclear whether Eilish or her representatives actually contacted immigration authorities specifically in response to Pavlou’s stunt.

The incident traces back to Eilish’s controversial Grammy Awards speech earlier this month, when the 24-year-old singer accepted Song of the Year and proclaimed, “Nobody is illegal on stolen land… F*** ICE.”

Her comments drew sharp criticism from some who called out the irony of a multimillionaire celebrity denouncing borders while living in a gated mansion. A mansion that was built on land belonging to the Tongva tribe, an indigenous group from the Los Angeles Basin. A spokesperson for the Tongva tribe has previously confirmed to reporters that Eilish’s home sits on their ancestral land. However, the singer has reportedly not reached out to any tribal representatives.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) was among one of the first political voices to criticize Eilish’s Grammy speech, suggesting that if she truly believed the land was stolen, she should give up her own property.

British journalist Julia Hartley-Brewer was even more blunt: “The woman is a blithering idiot. Of course, if she really means it, then she’ll happily hand over her multi-million pound Malibu beachfront home to illegal migrants… Which she won’t, because it’s all just silly celeb posturing.”

Pavlou seems to view the stunt as a win, arguing that his social media experiment exposed the hypocrisy of wealthy celebrities who advocate open borders while living behind the tall gates surrounding their own elitist properties.

According to CelebrityNetWorth.com, Eilish’s total net worth is estimated to be around $70 million as of 2026.