Andrew Cuomo had to be a ba, ba, ba “Big Shot!”
Legendary piano man Billy Joel donated $50,000 to a Super PAC backing his buddy Cuomo in a comeback bid for New York City mayor, state records show.
Joel made the contribution via the “William M. Joel Revocable Trust” to Super PAC “Fix The City,” according to records filed with the state Board of Elections.
Joel, 75, spends most of his time now in Florida — like thousands of other New York retirees escaping winters and high-cost of living — but stepped into the race to back the former governor ahead of a June Democratic Party primary.
“I’ll be spending more time in Florida like old Jewish guys from Long Island do,” Joel quipped last year.
Cuomo is the godfather of one of Joel’s daughters, Della Rose, and the entertainer has hosted campaign fundraisers for the politician during past campaigns.
Cuomo attended the press conference announcing Billy Joel’s residency at Madison Square Garden, which ended last year after a record-breaking 150 shows.
Joel was also one of the first guests to appear on Cuomo’s “Matter of Fact” podcast after he resigned as governor in 2021 under threat of impeachment over sexual harassment accusations. Cuomo has denied the allegations.
But critics said Joel is no longer in a “New York State of Mind” after “Movin’ Out” for the Sunshine State.
“It’s very unfortunate that celebrities have decided to overlook the failures of Cuomo’s governorship, including the during the height of the COVID pandemic, when he wrote a profit-making book with state employees,” said state Conservative Party chairman Gerard Kassar, a Dyker Heights resident.
“Didn’t Billy Joel move out?”
New York business titans have joined Joel by pumping more than $4 million into the pro-Cuomo Fix The City Super PAC, including IAC honcho Barry Diller and pro-charter school hedge funder Dan Loeb, who each chipped in $250,000.
Other contributors include fashion mogul Michael Kors — who kicked in $50,000 — and Walmart heiress and charter school booster Alice Walton, who donated $100,000.
Another Cuomo pal, Anthony Scaramucci, who briefly served as communication director during President Trump’s first term, donated $100,000 through his SkyBridge Capital firm.
Meanwhile a Super PAC supporting surging democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani’s bid for mayor, New Yorkers for Lower Costs, has raised $56,500 thus far — including $5,000 from “Sex in the City” actress Cynthia Nixon.
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