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Billie Eilish gave a sweet shoutout to an old choir teacher while accepting her second Oscar during the 96th Academy Awards on Sunday (March 10), and now that teacher is responding to what she called the "ultimate compliment."
The Happier Than Ever singer and her brother FINNEAS took home the award for Best Original Song for their record "What Was I Made For?" from Best Picture nominee Barbie, their second Best Original Song Oscar win that came two years after their first for "No Time To Die" from the James Bond film of the same name.
While accepting the award, Eilish made sure to thank a few teachers for their guidance when she was younger, including a former choir teacher, saying, "I want to thank my choir teachers Ms. Brigham, thanks for believing in me." Notably, Eilish also thanked another teacher named "Ms. T," hilariously stating, "you didn't like me, but you were good at your job."
The Hollywood Reporter caught up with Mandy Brigham, who was "flabbergasted" to hear that she received a shoutout from her former student. Brigham taught Eilish as part of the Los Angeles Children's Chorus beginning in 2010 when the now-Oscar winner was just 8 years old.
Brigham, who is now retired, said hearing how much of an impact she had on Eilish is "the ultimate compliment for a teacher." Though she wasn't watching the show live, she quickly learned of the praise.
"I was at the tennis matches at the Indian Wells Open. And then I started to get text messages. More text messages than I've ever received in my life," she said, adding, "I never expected anything like that would ever happen to me."
Eilish and FINNEAS had a big night at the Academy Awards. Not only did they take home the coveted award, which also reportedly cemented them as the youngest two-time winners in Oscars history, they also stunned the audience with an emotional performance of their award-winning song.