On Monday evening, Tina Fey hosted Rise Up New York! The Robin Hood Relief Benefit, a telethon to raise money for New Yorkers affected by COVID-19 and the organizations that support them. The hour-long special featured virtual guest appearances by Jennifer Lopez, Jon Bon Jovi, Spike Lee, Sting, Sutton Foster, Alicia Keys, Barbra Streisand, Governor Andrew Cuomo, frontline healthcare workers, and many other Big Apple residents.
Mariah Carey even stopped by (via the internet, of course) to sing a medley of her songs “Through the Rain†and “Make It Happen,†while Lin-Manuel Miranda gathered Cynthia Erivo, Ben Platt, Idina Menzel, and Andrew Rannells together to belt out “New York, New York.â€Â But if we had to pick the most heartstring-tugging moment (which no one has to; please, go enjoy the entire hour-long special above), it would have to be Tina Fey breaking into tears (round about 50:20) at the total amount raised: $115,000,000.
And if that isn’t stirring enough for you, the special concluded with Billy Joel playing “Miami 2017†to a corresponding Empire State Building light show. If you missed the light show tonight, however, don’t worry. You can watch it every evening through Friday, May 15, timed to begin at 9 p.m. EST, right as the song starts on New York’s Q104.3.