Christie Brinkley reunited with her ex-husband, Billy Joel, for his residency at Madison Square Garden in New York City, and she unexpectedly became part of the show.
During an April 2024 concert, the former supermodel danced and sang along as her ex performed their signature song, “Uptown Girl” 40 years after they collaborated on the music video for the single.
Brinkley briefly appeared on “Dancing With the Stars” in 2019 before suffering an arm injury, She was replaced by her daughter, Sailor Brinkley-Cook.
Here’s what you need to know:
Christie Brinkley Was All Smiles As Billy Joel Sang ‘Uptown Girl’ to Her
Brinkley attended Joel’s show at Madison Square Garden on April 26, 2024. TikTok user @gnarcar posted the video of the 70-year-old supermodel singing and swaying from side to side as her former husband performed “Uptown Girl.” Brinkley’s smiling face appeared on the big screens at the venue.
“Tonight, she watched him sing the song he wrote about her to all of Madison Square Garden,” came a caption on TikTok, 40 years later and your ex man is still grinning at you like that while he sings the song he wrote about how rich and hot you are?”
Brinkley starred with her then new-boyfriend Joel in the 1983 music video for “Uptown Girl.” In the video, the supermodel wore a black hat and strapless dress as she galivanted with a blue-collar Joel and his auto mechanic friends. The song was the second single on the five-time Grammy winner’s 1983 album “An Innocent Man.”
Christie Brinkley
Sony/YouTube“Uptown Girl” music video.
There have been rumors about how Brinkley’s “Uptown Girl” role came to be. In a 2018 appearance on “Watch What Happens Live,” fellow supermodel Elle McPherson revealed that she was living with Joel in a penthouse in Central Park West when he started dating Brinkley. “So yeah, I got ousted,” she claimed.
When asked about rumors that “Uptown Girl” was about her and not Brinkley, McPherson shared, “I think it’s [about] all the uptown girls, put it that way. I don’t need to take ownership of that. He liked tall girls.”
Brinkley and Joel wed in 1985 and welcomed their daughter Alexa Ray in December of that year, according to People magazine. The celebrity couple divorced in 1994.
Alexa Ray Joel Also Performed With Her Father
In 2024, Brinkley was in the Madison Square Garden audience for an extra special reason. Her daughter Alexa took the stage during the concert to perform Joel’s hit “Say Goodbye to Hollywood” as he played the piano.
Brinkley captioned a snippet of Alexa Ray’s performance with a tribute to her ex and his close relationship with their daughter.
“Before @billyjoel ‘s historic residency at @thegarden becomes a souvenir that slowly fades away, one more night to remember! Alexa Ray and her Pop in perfect harmony on, Say Goodbye to Hollywood one last time in this great huge arena that Billy has turned into his own cozy living room.” she wrote. “And then as if that charming duo wasn’t enough, the tears welled up when she surprised her Dad with a serenade of To Sir With Love.”
Brinkley added, “Thanks for singing us a song @billyjoel and @alexarayjoel You’ve got us feeling alright! …@sailorbrinkleycook I must add we were pretty good backup singers right? 😜”
According to Variety, Joel’s historic, 10-year residency at Madison Square Garden will end in July of 2024, after an impressive run of 150 concerts.
