Billy Corgan calls wife Chloe Mendel’s youth an ‘advantage’ in rare comment about 26-year age gap

Singer Billy Corgan believes his 26-year age gap with his wife, Chloe Mendel, has been a huge “advantage” to their relationship.

The Smashing Pumpkins frontman explained on Thursday’s New York Times’ “Popcast” episode that he struggles to relate to “broken” women of his generation.

“I think a lot of women born in the ‘90s [like Mendel], given the societal changes, [saw the] proper rise of feminism as a way to balance properly a lot of things,” Corgan told listeners.

Billy Corgan, 59, opened up about his relationship with wife Chloe Mendel, 34, on Thursday — and why their age gap is an “advantage.” (Pictured above: the couple in August 2025). Getty Images
The couple (pictured above in 2024) met in 2012 after being introduced by a mutual friend. Patrick McMullan via Getty Images

He continued, “Because so many women of our generation were going through that without a lot of help and coming out of a lot of abuse, it was harder to put those pieces together if you’re broken and they’re broken.”

The guitarist, 59, said he met a “lot of broken women along the way” before his romance with Mendel, 34, began in 2012.

“When I met my wife and having that gap, she just wasn’t affected by those same politics,” he recalled. “She just had a different version.”

Before meeting his wife, Corgan (pictured above in April) said he had encountered a “lot of broken women.” WWD via Getty Images
“She had a different sense of self-confidence … because she hadn’t been wounded,” Corgan (pictured above in July 2025) shared on “Popcast.” chloemendel/instagram

Corgan added, “She had a different sense of self-confidence, and then, you know, her youth was an advantage because she hadn’t been wounded like so many people are because you just go through life and you get wounded.

“I had the advantage of somebody who was really open to love and the possibility, and for whatever reason, [she] just decided not to judge me for who I was, particularly, in that moment,” he said.

The couple, notably, were introduced by a mutual friend when Mendel was 19 and Corgan was 44.

He and Mendel (pictured above in February) share three children. chloemendel/instagram
Corgan (pictured above in June) is the frontman for “Smashing Pumpkins.” Getty Images for for Songwriters Hall Of Fame

They got engaged in 2022 and wed the following September at their home in Highland Park, Illinois.

The couple share three children — son Augustus Juppiter, 10, and daughters Philomena Clementine, 8, and Juno Delphine, 1.

The duo documented their nuptials in their 2024 reality show, “Billy Corgan’s Adventures in Carnyland.”

When the show was released, Corgan said he believes viewers got an authentic look into their relationship.

He and Mendel (pictured above in February) starred in a reality show in 2024 titled “Billy Corgan’s Adventures in Carnyland.” Getty Images
While promoting the show, the guitarist (pictured above in September) gushed that Mendel is an “amazing mother.” Getty Images for iHeartRadio

“It is interesting, for the first time after a 12-year relationship, to open the doors and … show our actual dynamic,” he gushed to ScreenRant in 2024.

“People have often speculated — particularly given our age difference — what that dynamic is like, and I think the show really shows that we’re partners in life,” he said at the time. “We really are a 50/50 endeavor here.”

He also praised Mendel as an “amazing mother,” as well as a fantastic designer and businessperson.

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