Billy Corgan had "pretty much given up" on having a family until he met his wife
The 57-year-old rocker had wanted children for a long time but had been through a number of "bad relationships" that had convinced him he wasn't "made" to settle down until he met Chloe Mendel, 32, in 2011
12 March 2025
The Smashing Pumpkins frontman - who has Augustus, nine, and Philomena, six, with his pregnant spouse - told People magazine: "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.
"Not that I didn't want children, but I just thought, 'I'm not made for this.'"
The 'Tonight, Tonight' rocker praised his "unbelievable" wife for the way she organises their family.
He gushed: "She's a one in a gazillion. She's just an unbelievable person. Me and the children, we all recognise that everything runs off mom for sure."
Billy admitted their life can be "chaotic" but they always try and carve out quality time together, though there are no expectations amid his busy touring schedule.
He said: "Our thing is just to try to be together as much as we can.
"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.
"We kind of make it up as we go along. 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."
The couple tied the knot at their home in Highland Park, Illinois, in September 2023 and Chloe previously admitted it was particularly special to exchange vows there.
She told Vogue magazine: "The ceremony was beautiful, regal, simple but tasteful. We were elated to finally take this step after 11 years of being together and with our two children present, as well as so many dear friends and family.
"It is the very place where we had celebrated my 30th, and where our two precious children had taken their first breaths - yes, we had home births!
"Our home, a timeless sanctuary nestled by the lake, had always been the heart of our love story and our family...
"The after-party, nestled back in our cherished home, featured late-night poker, truffle fries, and endless laughter.
"It was a culmination of love, family, laughter, and the promise of a lifetime together-a testament to our enduring love story."
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