Jesse Rutherford and Billie Eilish: is The Neighborhood singer her boyfriend, are they dating - age difference

Rumours are a-swirl in the world of celebrity, as fans of pop wunderkind Billie Eilish look to ascertain whether she has been spotted out with a potential new boyfriend.

A video shared by a fan to social media on Friday (14 October) appeared to show Eilish holding hands with alternative rocker Jesse Rutherford at Universal Studios Hollywood.

Rutherford is best known as the frontman of American rock band The Neighbourhood. But are the pair in a relationship, and why has there been fan backlash to the news that they are potentially dating?

Here is everything you need to know about it.

Are Eilish and Jesse Rutherford dating?

The rumours all began when a fan shared a video of two people who appeared to be Eilish and Rutherford walking through the Universal Studios park together. They appeared to be hand in hand.

But can we be sure the two people in the video were really who the fan claimed they were?

Thankfully, the celeb super sleuths over at the Mail have already done the digging, and the evidence suggests that both Eilish and Rutherford were at Universal Studios at the same time.

Rutherford was pictured in the men’s loos at the theme park in an Instagram Story shared by Elish’s producer brother and co-writer, Finneas.

In his own Instagram selfie with Finneas, Rutherford was seen wearing a black leather jacket similar to the one shown in the fan-posted social media video.

Taking pictures in the loo is apparently all the rage, and as Eilish released her own Universal Studios toilet selfie , it was revealed that she too was dressed similarly to the person in the fan video.

They were clearly at the amusement park for the Halloween Horror Nights event, which is where the fan claimed to have seen them in their original post.

“OMG I just saw Billie Eilish at Horror Nights,” the fan exclaimed in text posted over the video.

What is the age difference between the two?

Since Eilish performs with all the confidence and skill of someone much more advanced in years, it’s sometimes easy to forget that the pop superstar is just 20 years old.

Rutherford is 31 years old, and though it’s far from confirmed that the pair are actually an item, social media backlash at the 11 year age difference has been pouring in since the rumours began circulating.

“He’s 31 and she can’t even legally drink yet,” wrote one person on Twitter. “Jesse Rutherford is FAR too old to be dating Billie Eilish,” said another: “Bro, please don’t be a nonce I literally have a tattoo of your face.”

While an 11-year age difference between two consenting adults - particularly if they were slightly older than the two people we are talking about here - would not likely be a huge cause for concern, fans have been speculating that Rutherford may have known Eilish since she was a minor, which makes things a little more complicated.

In December 2017, a Jesse Rutherford fan account on Twitter shared photos of Eilish and Rutherford posing for photos together at a costume party.

That tweet has been resurrected by TMZ, and the photos in question were originally taken on Eilish’s 16th birthday, when Rutherford was 26 years old - TMZ claims Eilish was actually 15 in the pictures.

TMZ claims the “evidence” we’ve mentioned above means “there’s no question this is them [in the fan video]”, but Eilish has a reputation for keeping her love life private - if they are indeed a couple, would they have so publicly “confirmed” the potential contentious relationship?

In an interview with Capital Radio a couple of years ago, Eilish said she “definitely” prefers to keep her relationships “private”, saying she regrets those that she has allowed the world to see even “a tiny amount”.

“A lot of people are cringing at the fact that Jesse knew Billie when she was underage, only to seemingly hook up with her in adulthood,” says TMZ. “Many are saying it’s gross and creepy, but the reality is... they’re both adults now, and can do what they want.”