Billie Eilish is publicly opening up about her controversial relationship with Jesse Rutherford for the first time. Vanity Fair recently released the sixth installment of its annual interview with the 20-year-old singer. In the video interview, Eilish spoke about her relationship with Rutherford, the lead vocalist of the Neighbourhood, who, at 31, is 11 years older. “It’s really cool, and I’m really excited,” she said after confirming she currently has a boyfriend, “and I’m really happy about it.”
Eilish continued, “I managed to get my way to a point in my life where I not only was known by a person that I thought was the hottest f*cking f*cker alive, but [I] pulled his ass. Are you kidding me?” Eilish took a bow as she requested a round of applause from the people in the room. “Jesse Rutherford, everyone,” she added. “I pulled his ass, all me. I did that sh*t. I locked that motherf*cker down.”
Eilish also shared what makes her the happiest in relationships. “My, whatever they say, love language is just physical touch. I just need to be touching skin all the time. Touching and cuddling and hugging and anything skin related is really a big thing for me,” she said. “Other than that, just freedom. I don’t want to be controlled. I want to be trusted, and I want to be able to have space, and I want love and attention.”
Eilish said she is a fan of Rutherford’s music. “Equal admiration is really important,” she told Vanity Fair. “I’m really inspired by this person, and, you know, he’s inspired by me, it’s really cool.”
Rutherford and Eilish were first rumored to be dating in October. Eilish later seemed to confirm their relationship on Nov. 1 with photos of their Halloween costume on Instagram. Eilish was previously linked to Brandon Quention Adams, who goes by the stage name “7:AMP,” in 2018 and actor Matthew Tyler Vorce in 2021. Though she didn’t explicitly name names, Eilish spoke about one of her exes in the Vanity Fair interview, saying, “I feel extremely grateful for the relationship I was in last year, and I think he’s f*ckin so much happier now, which makes me really happy.”