Billy Corgan Says He'd 'Pretty Much Given Up' on Having a Family Before He Met Wife Chloe: 'One in a Gazillion' (Exclusive)

Mar. 15, 2025

Chloe Mendel Corgan and Billy Corgan attend the New York City Ballet 2024 Fall Fashion Gala at the David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center on October 09, 2024 in New York City.Photo:Jared Siskin/Patrick McMullan via Getty

Jared Siskin/Patrick McMullan via Getty

Billy Corganalways knew he wanted a family — but he had to find wifeChloe Mendel Corganfirst.The Smashing Pumpkins frontman, 57, tells PEOPLE that while he’d always loved the idea of being a family man, the idea seemed out of reach until Chloe, 32, came along.“I wanted kids pretty much since my late 20s, but I kept being in one bad relationship after another. And when I met my wife, I’d pretty much given up on the idea,” he says. “Not that I didn’t want children, but I just thought, ‘I’m not made for this.’”Corgan — who last monthlaunched his new podcastThe Magnificent Others— and his wife, CEO and co-creative director of House of Gilles,married in September 2023after 11 years of dating. They’re parents to sonAugustus, 9, and daughterPhilomena, 6, and areexpecting their third child.“She’s a one in a gazillion. She’s just an unbelievable person,” he says. “Me and the children, we all recognize that everything runs off mom for sure.”Billy Corgan, Chloe Mendel and their childre.Chloe Mendel Corgan/InstagramWhile the rocker says there’s no hard and fast rules the couple follow to keep things happy at home, he admits that life can be “chaotic,” and quality time comes first.“Our thing is just to try to be together as much as we can,” he says, noting that Chloe is calling at that very moment. “I can’t tell you how many times I’ll be somewhere on tour and we’re apart for too long, but I have no expectations because to pick up the kids and come to where I am is a huge hassle. And then she’ll call me on a Tuesday and be like, ‘We’re flying in tomorrow to see you.’ And she’ll just show up for like, two days.”Going with the flow has been a saving grace for the family, who live in Illinois, and own the local tea shop Madame Zuzu’s.“We kind of make it up as we go along,” Corgan says. “Somehow it works, but we don’t really have this overriding expectation or something that it’s got to be a certain way, and that’s allowed it to be whatever it needs to be at any given moment.”Billy Corgan, Chloe Mendel and their children.Chloe Mendel Corgan/InstagramThe “1979” singer teases that he and Chloe have even jokingly discussed the idea of having heron his podcast, though he knows that his wife — who frequently teases the star on social media as a running gag — would not shy away from the tough questions.“She said she’s really going to put me on the spot in a way that made me uncomfortable. Not to embarrass me, but to show people the person that she knows,” he explains.Corgan has so far hosted stars like Tom Morello,Sharon Osbourne,Gene Simmonsand Wolfgang Van Halen on his podcast.He says he sees the sit-downs as a chance to dive deep in conversation with his guests — and show listeners a different side of himself.“I’m really not after clickbait. I want to understand something and I really don’t talk to my guests any different than I would talk to them if they were sitting at the kitchen table,” he says. “I want that feeling.”

Billy Corganalways knew he wanted a family — but he had to find wifeChloe Mendel Corganfirst.

The Smashing Pumpkins frontman, 57, tells PEOPLE that while he’d always loved the idea of being a family man, the idea seemed out of reach until Chloe, 32, came along.

“I wanted kids pretty much since my late 20s, but I kept being in one bad relationship after another. And when I met my wife, I’d pretty much given up on the idea,” he says. “Not that I didn’t want children, but I just thought, ‘I’m not made for this.’”

Corgan — who last monthlaunched his new podcastThe Magnificent Others— and his wife, CEO and co-creative director of House of Gilles,married in September 2023after 11 years of dating. They’re parents to sonAugustus, 9, and daughterPhilomena, 6, and areexpecting their third child.

“She’s a one in a gazillion. She’s just an unbelievable person,” he says. “Me and the children, we all recognize that everything runs off mom for sure.”

Billy Corgan, Chloe Mendel and their childre.Chloe Mendel Corgan/Instagram

Chloe Mendel Corgan/Instagram

While the rocker says there’s no hard and fast rules the couple follow to keep things happy at home, he admits that life can be “chaotic,” and quality time comes first.

“Our thing is just to try to be together as much as we can,” he says, noting that Chloe is calling at that very moment. “I can’t tell you how many times I’ll be somewhere on tour and we’re apart for too long, but I have no expectations because to pick up the kids and come to where I am is a huge hassle. And then she’ll call me on a Tuesday and be like, ‘We’re flying in tomorrow to see you.’ And she’ll just show up for like, two days.”

Going with the flow has been a saving grace for the family, who live in Illinois, and own the local tea shop Madame Zuzu’s.

“We kind of make it up as we go along,” Corgan says. “Somehow it works, but we don’t really have this overriding expectation or something that it’s got to be a certain way, and that’s allowed it to be whatever it needs to be at any given moment.”

Billy Corgan, Chloe Mendel and their children.Chloe Mendel Corgan/Instagram

The “1979” singer teases that he and Chloe have even jokingly discussed the idea of having heron his podcast, though he knows that his wife — who frequently teases the star on social media as a running gag — would not shy away from the tough questions.

“She said she’s really going to put me on the spot in a way that made me uncomfortable. Not to embarrass me, but to show people the person that she knows,” he explains.

Corgan has so far hosted stars like Tom Morello,Sharon Osbourne,Gene Simmonsand Wolfgang Van Halen on his podcast.

He says he sees the sit-downs as a chance to dive deep in conversation with his guests — and show listeners a different side of himself.

“I’m really not after clickbait. I want to understand something and I really don’t talk to my guests any different than I would talk to them if they were sitting at the kitchen table,” he says. “I want that feeling.”

source: people.com