Who Is Billy Corgan's Wife? All About Chloe Mendel
Billy Corgan and his wife, Chloe Mendel, have been together since 2012
Billy Corgan and his “partner in life and love,” wife Chloe Mendel, have been together for more than 10 years.
The Smashing Pumpkins frontman and his fashion designer wife met through a mutual friend and began dating in 2012. The pair kept many years of their relationship private — as they surprised fans with the births of their two children, Augustus and Philomena (in 2015 and 2018, respectively).
After a decade together, the couple got engaged on Chloe’s 30th birthday in September 2022, and then married at their home in Highland Park, Ill., in September 2023. Corgan first revealed the two had tied the knot to WGN during a 30th anniversary celebration for the Smashing Pumpkins’ Siamese Dream album. He then shared the news on Instagram a few days later, describing the wedding as "a magical moment."
Apart from their personal relationship, Corgan and Chloe are partners in business, operating a plant-based bakery in Highland Park called Madame ZuZu’s and the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA), which Corgan bought in 2017.
More recently, the couple premiered their CW documentary series, Billy Corgan's Adventures in Carnyland, which follows their work and family life. “We’ve been very quiet in public about our relationship because we always considered it a private matter between us,” Corgan told Screen Rant in May 2024. “It is interesting, for the first time after a 12-year relationship, to open the doors and not only show one of the most intimate moments of our lives in getting married, but to also show our actual dynamic.”
So who is Billy Corgan’s wife? Here’s everything to know about Chloe Mendel and her relationship with the singer.
She’s a clothing designer
As the daughter of haute couture designer Gilles Mendel, the CEO of luxury brand J. Mendel — who has designed looks for Taylor Swift and Nicole Kidman, among many other stars — Chloe chose to follow her family’s footsteps into fashion.
“It’s very much in my DNA,” she told The New York Times in 2017.
Chloe started her career working for J. Mendel (which has been helmed by five generations of her family) as an intern, designing ready-to-wear and couture, per the Chicago Tribune. Then in 2017, she co-founded her own brand Maison Atia, a luxury outerwear line focused on faux furs, where she serves as creative director.
After collaborating with her father to design her wedding gown in September 2022, the pair had such a positive experience that they made their fashion partnership official. “It was so much fun [that] we actually started a company out of it,” Chloe told Screen Rant in May 2024.
In 2023, Chloe and her father launched their brand House of Gilles. “We thought it was such a unique and fun experience that we wanted to provide that for other people,” she told Screen Rant. “Now we do bridal and bespoke for other people.”
They have two children together — and one on the way
Chloe and Corgan have two children together — and a third on the way.
They welcomed their first child, son Augustus Juppiter, on Nov. 16, 2015. Their second child, daughter Philomena Clementine, was born on Sept. 27, 2018. Just after Philomena's arrival, the proud parents posted a photo on Instagram of Augustus holding his newborn baby sister in the hospital.
In August 2024, Corgan and Chloe announced exclusively to PEOPLE that they were expecting a third child together. At the time, Corgan shared how their other two kids reacted to the news.
“On Sunday, we shared the news with our children. While Augustus was overjoyed, Clementine, the younger of the two, asked if the baby was made already and shed a few tears of concern, which was honestly adorable,” the musician said. “Now, both kids are beaming, and it makes it so much fun to share the joy of bringing more love into our family. We are truly blessed.”
Corgan and Chloe often share snapshots of their children’s lives on social media — including the moment they revealed Mendel’s pregnancy to their kids. In a video posted on Instagram, Philomena can be heard asking, “How is she pregnant?” while Augustus says he's “stressed” by the news.
The couple has also shared photos of the family traveling, from Chloe and the kids in Japan to the whole family in Disney World at Christmastime.
Her proposed on her 30th birthday
After a decade together, Corgan proposed to Chloe on her 30th birthday on Sept. 10, 2022, at their home in Illinois.
Chloe shared a video on Instagram of herself and her children blowing out birthday candles on her cake to announce the news. “'Tis true, I turned 30 yesterday... I spent the day unplugged with my whole family,” she wrote in the caption. “The day finished with a wedding proposal. Of course I said yes.”
Later, Chloe shared the details of their engagement with Vogue in September 2023, recalling that they had welcomed their “entire family” to their home for a dinner in their garden. At one point in the night, Corgan presented Chloe with a wrapped birthday gift.
“I unwrapped the package, revealing not just one, but three exquisite ring renderings adorned with filigree, emeralds and diamonds,” she told Vogue. “I assumed this to be a grand birthday gesture. It was only when I looked up into his eyes, brimming with emotion, that the realization struck me.”
They got married at their home in Illinois
On Sept. 16, 2023, Corgan and Chloe tied the knot at their 1929 waterfront estate in Highland Park, welcoming 100 guests for an intimate ceremony and reception.
“It was really focused on family intimacy and the people closest to us,” Chloe told PEOPLE in 2023. “We do shows for a living, we are out in the public eye all the time. So it was like, we don't need to put on a show. This is just our moment. We didn't feel the need to invite all of our rockstar friends.”
Chloe also told PEOPLE that their property is like a “secret garden,” which was evidenced in the rose-wrapped altar under which she and Corgan recited their vows. Their children Augustus and Philomena walked Corgan down the aisle, while the bride was escorted by her father, Gilles.
Gilles also designed Chloe's ceremony and reception dresses, as well as Corgan’s suit.
“It was pretty much a no-brainer that my dad was going to design my dress,” Chloe told Vogue in 2023.
“We started by discussing inspiration, and my daughter brought me some inspiration images of a Greek goddess. From there, we started to build this idea of this beautiful, ethereal dress,” Gilles told the outlet.
After their wedding, Corgan and Chloe announced their marriage on social media. In a joint Instagram video, they shared Corgan’s vows, during which he said, “The wonderful things that have happened to us as of late, start and end with you. I once sang heartbroken over the loss of my mother, that ‘love is good and love is kind.’ And that is what I’ve found with you, Chloe.”
They bring their kids on tour
Since the Smashing Pumpkins had their first tour in 18 years in 2018, Corgan and Chloe have brought their kids on the road with them.
Ahead of the 2018 tour, Corgan revealed that Augustus has inherited his love for music, and shared his predictions for how his son would behave.
“He watches my music videos every day now, so I’m excited to see how he adapts to tour buses and arenas full of people,” Corgan told PAWS Chicago at the time. “My guess is he’ll very much want to come onstage to say hello or sing.”
The couple often shares photos and videos of Augustus and Philomena backstage on social media. In an August 2024 Instagram post, they included clips of the two kids playing with the equipment and in the dressing room, and watching the concert from beside the stage.
“Family first, always. 🖤 In case you’re wondering what backstage is like,” they wrote in the post's caption.
They own two businesses together
In addition to his music career and her fashion career, Corgan and Chloe operate two businesses together.
In 2012, they founded Madame ZuZu’s, a plant-based tea shop in Highland Park which has since turned into a cafe and record store, according to the business’s website. The store closed down in 2018, but was revived in 2020, per Eater Chicago. “Our goal is to bring good, quality food to Highland Park,” Chloe told the outlet in 2020. “We want to be involved in the community.”
The cafe often hosts events and live music and offers limited releases of Smashing Pumpkins vinyls, autographed posters and other merch.
In addition, Corgan — who has had a lifelong interest in wrestling — purchased the National Wrestling Alliance in 2017, per Forbes.
From the beginning of their relationship, Chloe knew wrestling was going to play an important role. “When I started dating Billy, Resistance Pro [Wrestling] was in our life, and we were going to indie shows, so I always knew that wrestling was going to be a part of my life,” she recalled to The Rock Father in 2024. “When he acquired NWA, it became even more real.”
Though it took her some time to warm up to wrestling, Chloe is now fully supportive of Corgan’s endeavors.
“I mean, how can you not love it? It’s ridiculous. And it’s entertaining. And the people are pretty nuts,” she told The Rock Father. “Billy has this affinity. And everybody becomes a wrestler or works in wrestling because they watched it as a kid. I don’t know anybody who has a different story. So, it’s like you're achieving this childhood dream.”
In 2024, the couple premiered their eight-episode CW reality series, Billy Corgan's Adventures in Carnyland, which documents their relationship and the running of NWA and Madame ZuZu’s, per Rolling Stone.
From the beginning of filming, Corgan was determined for the show to be real and authentic. “I was insistent that the show represent an organic form of storytelling. So, most of what you see in the eight episodes of Carnyland really is stuff that actually happens,” he told Forbes in 2024. "There’s no staging and there’s no fake dialogue or stuff like that. That was really important to me.”
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