Who is Emily Austin? Influencer who remained seated during anti-ICE standing ovation at Grammys

A conservative influencer and sports journalist stirred row after her reaction to a political moment at the 2026 Grammy Awards.

During the ceremony in Los Angeles on Sunday night, singer Billie Eilish won Song of the Year for “Wildflower.” In her acceptance speech, she addressed immigration issues and criticized US Immigration and Customs Enforcement, saying, “no one is illegal on stolen land,” and ending with the phrase “f**k ICE.” Much of the audience cheered and gave her a standing ovation.




While Eilish spoke, 24-year-old Emily Austin remained seated as most of the audience stood and applauded. She recorded a live reaction video and posted it on her X account. In the clip, she mocked the singer’s remarks, repeating phrases like “F–k ICE, oh my god, I’m so edgy,” and captioned the post by calling the speech “painful to listen to.” In the clip, she also said, "We love our law enforcement."

Emily is a conservative podcaster, social media personality, and sports broadcaster. Austin has worked as an independent NBA broadcaster, hosted events on DAZN, and appeared as a panelist on the Fox News show Gutfeld!. She also has a following for political commentary online, mostly MAGA.

The video went viral, attracting millions of views in less than a day. Supporters praised Austin’s stance, saying she was standing up against political messaging unrelated to music. At the same time, many viewers criticised her response as tone-deaf or performative.

During an IShowSpeed livestream in April 2025, the YouTuber reportedly unfollowed Emily Austin on Instagram after she identified herself as a Zionist while interacting with him on stream. The unfollow happened live during their exchange.