You’ve seen the side-by-side photos. Two pale, bald men with intense eyes and a penchant for being the most opinionated person in any room they enter. On the left, Billy Corgan, the mastermind behind the Smashing Pumpkins. On the right, Bill Burr, the comedian who made a career out of being professionally annoyed. The physical resemblance is honestly striking. It’s the kind of thing that starts as a Reddit meme and ends up becoming a genuine question: are Billy Corgan and Bill Burr brothers?
It sounds like a total "internet legend" until you realize that Billy Corgan himself is the one who poured gasoline on the fire.
The Howie Mandel Ambush
This whole thing exploded in late 2024. Corgan was a guest on the Howie Mandel Does Stuff podcast. While they were chatting, a photo of Bill Burr popped up on a screen behind them. Now, usually, a celebrity would just laugh it off, maybe make a joke about how they both need more sunscreen. But Corgan went a different route.
He told a story that was, frankly, kind of wild.
He claimed that about a decade ago, his stepmother—the woman who raised him—asked him if he knew who Bill Burr was. When Billy said no, she allegedly told him, "I think he might be one of your father's illegitimate children."
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Corgan didn't just leave it at a "maybe." He noted that when he actually looked at a picture of Burr, he thought the comedian looked more like his father, William Corgan Sr., than Billy himself did. To make matters even weirder, Billy mentioned that his father once told him he had a half-brother named Bill who was born around the same time.
When Bill Met Billy
The plot thickened when Howie Mandel actually managed to get both of them in the same room. If you’ve watched the clip, it’s one of the most awkward things you’ll ever see in your life.
Bill Burr was essentially ambushed. He didn't know Corgan was going to be there, and he certainly didn't seem thrilled about discussing his potential "secret lineage" on a live mic. Burr’s vibe was very much, "I'm here to promote a show, why is the lead singer of the Smashing Pumpkins trying to be my brother?"
Burr later went on the Rich Eisen Show and basically called Howie Mandel a "Hollywood whore" for the stunt. He wasn't mad at Billy, necessarily. He was mad at the spectacle.
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Why the Math Doesn't Quite Work
Look, as much as we love a good "long-lost siblings" trope, the actual facts make this one a hard sell.
- Birthdates: Billy Corgan was born in March 1967. Bill Burr was born in June 1968. They are about 15 months apart. While that fits the "same time" window, it's a tight squeeze.
- Geography: Corgan was born in Chicago. Burr was born in Canton, Massachusetts.
- The Dads: Bill Burr’s father, Robert Burr, was a dentist. Billy Corgan Sr. was a blues guitarist and, according to Billy, a bit of a "mad man" who traveled a lot.
Corgan’s father was a musician, which is usually the ultimate "secret family" job description. He allegedly told Billy he sired 12 children out of wedlock. But Bill Burr has several actual brothers and sisters in Massachusetts who look just like him. They look like his dad, Robert. If Bill were actually the son of a traveling blues man from Chicago, he’d have to be the result of a very specific, very well-hidden affair that his dentist father then covered up for 50 years.
Basically, it's a lot more likely that two Irish-American guys from the Midwest and Northeast just happen to share the same "angry bald man" DNA.
Is it just a bit?
In early 2025, Corgan went on The Joe Rogan Experience to clear the air. He admitted that while the story from his stepmother was 100% true, he doesn't actually think he and Bill are related. He compared it to how Bono and Robin Williams used to look alike.
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"There's no reason to get a DNA test," Corgan told Rogan. He seems to have realized that while it’s a funny anecdote, it's probably just a cosmic coincidence.
People love this theory because both men share a specific kind of energy. They are both fiercely independent, slightly contrarian, and incredibly talented in their respective lanes. They both have "it," whatever "it" is. But unless someone coughs up a 23andMe result that says otherwise, they are just two famous guys who need the same brand of head wax.
Reality Check: What we actually know
- Resemblance: High. They definitely look like they could be cousins.
- Parental History: Billy Corgan’s dad was a traveling musician with a "complicated" history. Bill Burr’s dad was a Massachusetts dentist.
- DNA Evidence: None. Neither has shown any interest in actually taking a test.
- The Verdict: Probably not brothers. Just two guys trapped in a very persistent internet meme.
If you’re still convinced they’re related, you’re basically betting against the odds of biology for the sake of a better story. It’s a great story, though.
If you want to dig deeper into the actual lineages, you can look up the interviews with Corgan on Howie Mandel’s channel or check out Bill Burr’s Monday Morning Podcast, where he occasionally rants about people asking him about his "brother" Billy. You won't find a smoking gun, but you'll definitely find two very different men who are tired of being compared to each other.
To see the resemblance for yourself, just search for their respective fathers' photos online—it’s the quickest way to see why the "secret brother" theory took off in the first place.