What’s in Billy Eichner’s wallet? Apparently a lot of venom.
The “Billy on the Street” star tore into Ross Mathews on Friday, accusing Mathews of ripping off his routine for a Capital One ad and prompting Mathews to call Eichner “pompous and wrong.”
“Thank you, honey. I treat everyone equally & respectfully, even when they’re pompous and wrong,” Mathews responded Saturday morning on Twitter, after he was complimented by a female follower on handling Eichner’s accusation with “class.”
Eichner fired the first shot on Friday, posting a Capital One ad featuring Mathews quizzing people on the street about credit cards.
Apparently, Eichner found the bit a little too familiar.
“Yet another Billy on the Street ripoff. I usually ignore but this one is SHAMELESS and PATHETIC. (And not funny),” Eichner hissed.
He upped the rancor to F-bomb status in a subsequent tweet, writing, “Hey @CapitalOne & @helloross – don’t steal from my f–king show. This is stolen intellectual property. F–K YOU. #GoodbyeRoss
Mathews denied the allegations, claiming that he’d been doing similar material for 15 years.
“Are you serious?” Mathews tweeted at Eichner. “I’ve been doing man on the street interviews since 2001. I’ve never even seen your stuff. Bless your heart.”
Eichner fired back, claiming that he’d been approached for the Capital One gig, but didn’t take it because “I don’t work cheap.”
For his part, Mathews tried to maintain civility, albeit with a backhanded compliment.
“No feud. Just responding to you,” Mathews wrote. “I came before you. I agree you’re funnier, but you’re also a dick.”
After the dust settled, Mathews tweeted a plea for solidarity, writing, “Glad your hissy fit is over. We should be building each other up, not tearing one another down. All good.”
Read the exchange below.
Thank you, honey. I treat everyone equally & respectfully, even when they’re pompous and wrong. ❤️ https://t.co/1S2zQaSqP3
— Ross Mathews (@helloross) June 18, 2016
Yet another Billy on the Street ripoff. I usually ignore but this one is SHAMELESS and PATHETIC. (And not funny). https://t.co/y2BtoQa6in
— billy eichner (@billyeichner) June 17, 2016
Hey @CapitalOne & @helloross – don’t steal from my fucking show. This is stolen intellectual property. FUCK YOU. #GoodbyeRoss
— billy eichner (@billyeichner) June 17, 2016
.@helloross Perhaps u didn’t but ur new friends @CapitalOne certainly did as they reached out to my agents about this campaign. HAPPY PRIDE.
— billy eichner (@billyeichner) June 17, 2016
Life is short and I will not be getting into a Twitter feud with ROSS THE INTERN of all people. Here’s a fun video: https://t.co/QU7bEKSjhs
— billy eichner (@billyeichner) June 17, 2016
.@billyeichner Glad your hissy fit is over. We should be building each other up, not tearing one another down. All good. ❤️????
— Ross Mathews (@helloross) June 18, 2016