Billy Joel Strongly Denied 1 Longtime Rumor in New Documentary

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When you've lived as much of your life in the spotlight as Billy Joel has, you're bound to be the target of occasional gossip.

However, there is one rumor that has persisted about the Piano Man for decades, and Joel addressed it head on in HBO's new two-part documentary, Billy Joel: And So It Goes.It has to do with a number of car accidents Joel had in the early 2000s when he was retreating from the public spotlight.

For years, some of the media and public has attributed the crashes to DUIs, but Joel insists that isn't the case.

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"I didn’t like the tabloid kind of press. For example, there’s this rumor that I have all these DUIs," Joel said, via PEOPLE. "That never happened."

"But people keep repeating the myth. ‘Oh, he’s got so many DUIs.’ I never had a DUI. So f--- you," Joel continued. "The press can be mean. So having that much attention paid to you is not easy."

Joel has never hid his issues with alcohol, even discussing them in the new documentary. However, in an interview with The New York Times Magazine in 2013, he blamed his accidents a decade earlier on "mental fog."

Billy Joel performs onstage during the 66th GRAMMY Awards at Crypto.com Arena on February 04, 2024 in Los Angeles, California.

Amy Sussman/Getty Images

"I never had a DUI in my life. That’s another fallacy. Look at the police records," Joel said. "My mind wasn’t right. I wasn’t focused. I went into a deep, deep depression after 9/11. 9/11 just knocked the wind out of me, and I don’t know even now if I’ve recovered from it. It really, really hurt that man could do that to man. And then there was a breakup with somebody, and it took me a while to get me back on my feet again."

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Unfortunately, Joel, 76, is currently dealing with a case ofnormal pressure hydrocephalus (NPH), a brain disorder caused by a buildup of excesscerebrospinal fluid. It led to the legendary performer canceling the rest of his concert tour back in May.

In an interview with Bill Maher, Joel said his balance "sucks" and likened it to being on a boat. The Long Island native also initially thought his issues might have been related to his past drinking, before he received his actual diagnosis.

"I feel good. They keep referring to what I have as a brain disorder, so it sounds a lot worse than what I'm feeling," Joel told Maher.

Billy Joel: And So It Goesis now streaming on HBO.

Billy Joel Strongly Denied 1 Longtime Rumor in New Documentary first appeared on Men's Journal on Jul 27, 2025