For a little more than a year, Drake’s texting habits have been drawing skepticism and concern from some corners of the internet. It started in September 2018, when Stranger Things star Millie Bobby Brown revealed that the two had bonded when they met in Australia and had since begun texting as friends. Then, last November, Billie Eilish told Vanity Fair that Drake had been texting her as well—months after video surfaced of the rapper and former Degrassi star fondling and kissing a 17-year-old girl during one of his concerts. But Eilish is not moved by the internet’s concerns. In an interview for Vogue’s March cover, the singer said, “The internet is such a stupid-ass mess right now.”
“Everybody’s so sensitive,” Eilish continued. “A grown man can’t be a fan of an artist? There are so many people that the internet should be more worried about. Like, you’re really going to say that Drake is creepy because he’s a fan of mine, and then you’re going to go vote for Trump? What the fuck is that shit?”
During her Vanity Fair interview, posted last winter, Eilish described Drake as “the nicest dude I’ve ever spoken to.” “I mean, I’ve only, like texted him,” she said, “but he’s so nice. Like, he does not need to be that nice—you know what I mean?” But social media users were quick to point out Drake’s apparent pattern of befriending underage girls; he had, after all, just faced a firestorm only a year before, following similar comments from Millie Bobby Brown.
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In the fall of 2018, the actress—who was 14 years old at the time—said that she and Drake had met in Australia, where they apparently hit it off. “He’s honestly so fantastic,” she said, adding later, “We just texted each other the other day and he was like, ‘I miss you so much’ and I was like, ‘I miss you more!’” She added that Drake also sometimes gave her dating advice.
The concerned reactions poured in almost instantaneously. It probably didn’t help that Brown’s revelation came just as Drake and 18-year-old model Bella B Harris—whom the rapper met when she was 16—denied rumors that they were dating.
Brown, like Eilish, defended her friendship with Drake after backlash ensued. She wrote on her Instagram story, “Why u gotta make a lovely friendship ur headline? U guys are weird . . . for real. I’m lucky to have people in the business extend their time to help me further my career and offer their wisdom and guidance. I’m very blessed to have amazing people in my life. U don’t get to choose that for me. It’s nice to have people who understand what I do. Now get back to talking about real problems in this world other than my friendships . . . jeez.”
