Elton John has unintentionally sent social media into a festive frenzy – and not because of a surprise Christmas single or an impromptu bedazzled performance, but because the man let the world see his kitchen for 14 seconds.
It began harmlessly enough.
The Grammy-collecting, sparkly-jacket-owning, national-treasure-level British icon gave his 5.5 million Instagram followers a cheeky peek into his home life with a tongue-in-cheek holiday video.
In the clip, the 78-year-old Tiny Dancer legend appears in a Gucci tracksuit, casually existing in the kitchen he shares with husband David Furnish and their children – looking every bit like a man whose appliances cost more than most people’s cars, yet who still cannot escape the true horror of the season: being publicly tormented by your own Christmas hit.
Each time he opens a cupboard, drawer, fridge or oven, the unmistakable cheer of his 1973 classic Step into Christmas blasts out.
Elton recoils like a man who’s just been personally attacked by his past self.
“It must be that time of year again…” the video teases as it fades to black, perfectly capturing the annual moment when celebrities realise they, too, are powerless against holiday playlists.
The internet, naturally, is obsessed.
The video has racked up almost 15 million views in 48 hours – but the real plot twist? Most people aren’t talking about Elton. They’re talking about the countertops.
“Who here is mostly enjoying having a nosy around Elton’s kitchen?” one person wrote.
With over 5000 likes, the answer was: everyone.
Everyone is enjoying having a nosy around Elton’s kitchen.
Another viewer – speaking for the aspirational masses – added: “I wanted him to take us into that walk-in frigidaire.”
Others admired its lived-in normalcy, because apparently even a six-time Grammy winner can’t resist the gravitational pull of a miscellaneous junk drawer.
“I love that it’s obviously a beautiful dream kitchen… but also so normal. It’s clearly used and loved.”
But nothing united the internet quite like Elton John’s oven door.
“Thank god he has a dirty oven door too,” one person chimed in.
“Nice to see even Elton’s oven needs cleaning before Christmas, my oven glass needs an oven doctor too,” another confessed – proving that in the end, what truly brings humanity together is the deep shame of appliance grime.
Though the clip shows charming flashes of family life – a fridge collage, wall photos, general domestic warmth – Elton keeps viewers guessing about which of his many homes the video was filmed in.
It’s believed to be his Woodside Estate in Old Windsor, purchased in 1974 for around £400,000, or the equivalent of more than £3.3 million ($6.6 million) today.
Not that Elton is lacking options.
The superstar reportedly owns roughly seven properties worldwide, with spots in Beverly Hills, Atlanta, the South of France, Venice and Toronto.
Across his career, Elton has sold more than 300 million records and now has an estimated net worth of £475 million (more than $959 million).
But perhaps his greatest achievement yet is reminding the world that, no matter how famous you are, December will still bully you with your own Christmas song – and also that your oven door is probably fine.
Images: Instagram
