Billy Joel says his neurologist has banned him from performing, and the future of his career is now uncertain

Billy Joel says his neurologist has banned him from performing, and the future of his career is now uncertain

Billy Joel has been one of the most reliable presences in live music for five decades. He filled arenas on a near-permanent loop, held a monthslong residency at Madison Square Garden, and sold out stadiums well into his mid-seventies. So when the 77-year-old sat down with The Hollywood Reporter this week and said he genuinely does not know whether he will ever perform again, it landed.

Hard.

TMZ reports that Joel told The Hollywood Reporter his future as a performer is an open question. In the interview, Joel said of that future: "I don't know. I have to take a series of tests before I know, but I'm not allowed to drive. And I can't do performances because what the neurologist told me, every time you do a show, it's like you're getting a concussion."

That is not a small thing to absorb. Joel did not frame it as a temporary pause or a cautious recovery. He framed it as a set of doctor's orders with no clear end date.

Joel disclosed in May 2025 that he had normal pressure hydrocephalus, a fluid buildup in the brain that can affect memory, movement, concentration, vision, and balance. The five-time Grammy winner had undergone surgery earlier that year and canceled all scheduled concerts after the diagnosis. At the time, his official statement expressed hope that he would return to the stage. This new interview, according to The Daily Beast, reads considerably more cautious than that.

Joel explained that "the lighting, the sound, the stress of the show, the audience, the energy of the performance" are the reasons his doctors have advised him against taking the stage anytime soon. Per Far Out Magazine, he also quipped that "rock 'n' roll made me deaf already" before getting into the specifics of his condition.

Joel underwent brain surgery after his NPH diagnosis in May 2025, which involved doctors implanting a shunt in his brain. Speaking on SiriusXM's The Billy Joel Channel, he reported that the procedure improved his memory and balance. However, doctors remain cautious about physical stress, requiring him to undergo a series of further medical tests before any potential return to the stage.

He is not, by his own account, in despair. Joel said his memory and balance improved after surgery, adding: "I'm not going anywhere, I'm here. I'm still here." He told the interviewer: "But I'm OK. They call it a brain disorder, but it's not that serious. It's just something that affects your balance mostly."

Still, those words sit uncomfortably beside the neurologist's hard limits. Since his diagnosis, Joel had remained relatively upbeat, telling SiriusXM only last month, "I know people are worried about me because they read that I have a brain disorder, which sounds a lot worse than it actually is." This week's update, though, adds a layer of reality that wasn't there before.

The interview came alongside news about his motorcycle collection. Joel is currently auctioning off over 70 of his motorcycles and told The Hollywood Reporter: "I have a condition called hydrocephalus, which makes driving a little bit iffy. So I realized it's time for me to turn it over to somebody else." Proceeds from the sale will go toward his organization, The Joel Foundation. Selling off the bikes felt, to many fans online, like a man putting his affairs in a certain kind of order, even if that was not explicitly the framing.

The response on social media was immediate and emotional. Joel's fanbase skews older but is enormous, and the prospect of no more "Piano Man" sing-alongs, no more MSG nights, no more "We Didn't Start the Fire" in packed arenas, hit people across generations.

On a lighter note elsewhere in pop: Consequence reports that Thursday also brought one of the year's most anticipated pop collaborations. Olivia Rodrigo released a remix of her song "expectations" featuring Chappell Roan via Interscope Records. The remix marks Roan's first-ever feature, putting a playful spin on Rodrigo's original, produced by their mutual collaborator Dan Nigro. The original song appeared on Rodrigo's critically acclaimed third album, you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love, which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 with 485,000 first-week units, becoming 2026's biggest solo debut, while topping the charts in 17 countries. The remix marks Roan's first-ever feature.

The visual is fashioned as a fictional The Price Is Right-style 1970s game show called "The Big Expectations Show," featuring Roan and Rodrigo as competitors. The remix is also available in limited-edition physical formats. David Byrne has a prominent role in the video, playing the host, Johnny Johnson, of the fictional game show and doing his best Bob Barker impersonation with his distinct energy. Per Universal Music Canada's official announcement, the video was directed by Bardia Zeinali.

Back to Joel. His story is the one that will stay with people this week. At 77, after surgery, after a year of watching the touring life slip away, he is being candid in a way that major artists rarely allow themselves to be. No comeback teasing, no vague "I'm working on it." Just a doctor's order and a quiet "I don't know."

The auction of 70-plus motorcycles closes soon. Joel hasn't said what he's planning to do with the time.

Sources

• TMZ: Billy Joel Not Allowed to Perform or Drive
• The Daily Beast: Billy Joel, 77, Gives Health Update
• Far Out Magazine: Billy Joel admits he's unsure if he'll tour again
• Yahoo Style: Billy Joel, 77, Says He Is 'Not Allowed to Drive' or Perform
• Archynewsy: Billy Joel: Neurologist Bars Driving and Performing
• Consequence: Olivia Rodrigo Drops "expectations" Remix with Chappell Roan
• Universal Music Canada: Olivia Rodrigo Releases "expectations" Remix Featuring Chappell Roan