Billy Joel Says an Unauthorized Biopic Is ‘Legally Misguided.’ But the Law Isn’t on His Side

Experts tell Billboard that the singer would face long odds if he went to court over the planned movie Billy & Me.

Billy Joel performs at Allegiant Stadium on November 09, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Ethan Miller/Getty Images

In 1983, Frank Sinatra sued celebrity biographer Kitty Kelley after learning she was working on the book His Way: The Unauthorized Biography of Frank Sinatra, only to drop the case within a year. Seventeen years later, a judge threw out litigation from the estate of David Ruffin over the 1998 NBC miniseries The Temptations. And in 2018, an appeals court said actress Olivia de Havilland could not sue FX over her portrayal in the Ryan Murphy series Feud: Bette and Joan.

These are just a few among scores of cases that have failed over the decades in trying to challenge unauthorized biographical works about celebrities, largely due to First Amendment free speech protections. Experts tell Billboard that Billy Joel would likely meet the same fate if he brought legal action over the unauthorized biopic Billy & Me.