What People Are Getting Wrong This Week: Are Bill Burr and Billy Corgan Brothers?

Credit: Howie Mandel Does Stuff - YouTube

Smashing Pumpkins' legendary frontman Bill Corgan and confrontational comedian Bill Burr look alike—both have shaved heads, stubbly beards, blue eyes, and similar facial structures. They look so much alike they could be brothers; so much alike that a lot of people think they are brothers. While it's possible, these people are probably wrong.

Why people think Bill Corgan and Bill Burr are brothers

The rumor started with Corgan's appearance on Howie Mandel's podcast back in January. On the show, Corgan recounts the following conversation that he said happened a decade prior:

My stepmother said to me, "Do you know who Bill Burr is?" Now at that point, I had never heard of Bill Burr … She said, "Well, he's this comedian…" And I think I even somehow called up a picture on the phone, and I kind of noticed right away, "Gee, he really looks like my father." Bill Burr looks more like my father than Bill Burr looks like me or I look like Bill Burr. So I said to my mother, "Why are you asking me this?"... She goes, "I think he might be one of your father's illegitimate children. Bill Burr might be one of the children that your father sired in his days being a traveling musician… My father did once tell me that I had a half-brother named Bill, who was born around the same time as me."

A lot of people look like other people, so that doesn't mean much, and a single piece of family lore is anything but conclusive, but this evidence was apparently enough for Mandel to try to get to the bottom of it, in probably the worst way possible.

Corgan and Burr: Worst. Family. Reunion. Ever.

In a more recent episode of Howie Mandel Does Stuff, Mandel hosted Bill Burr and surprised the comedian with a special appearance from Corgan so the pair could compare notes on their fathers. Despite Mandel's assurance that he was "doing it out of love," the ambush did not go well.

"You're an asshole," Burr tells Mandel. "He's just doing this for the fucking ratings," Burr adds.

Corgan says he was told Burr was aware he was appearing on the show, but it seems Burr had no idea. Mandel eventually leaves the pair alone to talk things out. It's an uncomfortable, creepy conversation. Burr says his dad had multiple families. Corgan says his dad told him he was a musician where Burr's dad told him he was a dentist. Corgan points out that Bill Burr can't sing, and Billy Corgan isn't funny, so maybe they aren't related. It doesn't really reach any conclusion.

Ultimately, the familial status of Corgan and Burr is inconclusive

The bottom line is there isn't any solid reason to think that Bill and Billy have the same father. "They look alike" and "my mom said something once" isn't enough evidence to believe this rumor (even if Burr and Corgan believe it). Unless the results of a DNA test are made public, I'd file this under "probably not true."

It's extremely unlikely for any person to become famous—there are a lot of singers and comedians out there—and it seems astronomically unlikely that two people would become famous at a Burr/Corgan level, but in two distinct fields. These aren't nepo babies we're talking about. The unique combination of talent, drive, personality, and luck that adds up to a career like either of these men is almost never seen. Two half-brothers developing all that independently is possible, but it would be a hell of a coincidence.

The on-air results of the impromptu "family reunion" are inconclusive. Burr refers to "our dad" often on the podcast, and overall seems to accept the premise that they have the same father, but maybe he's playing along with the bit Mandel set up. Burr is a comedian so he knows how to run with a premise. He appeared on Mandel's show to promote an upcoming project, and seems to have succeeded wildly. I don't have any evidence one way or the other, and my gut says this is genuine, but I wouldn't exactly be surprised if this all turned out to be an elaborate set-up designed to get people talking and boost the careers of all three men; it wouldn't be the first time. Speaking of—

Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson are probably not brothers either

Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson look alike too. Unlike Corgan and Burr, the actors are pals, but there's a rumor that they're brothers too.

Just as Corgan's mother brought up the possibility that he was related to Burr, McConaughey's mom brought up a possible family relationship with Harrelson. “We're all sitting around in Greece one night talking and my mom out of nowhere in a little pause goes, ‘Oh, I knew your dad, Woody...,’ ” McConaughey said in an interview.

“And we all went, ‘What was the ellipsis about?' ...And she goes, ‘Just saying, we might have frequented the same place out in West Texas one time when he was on furlough.' ”

The pair have mentioned doing DNA tests in the past, but, so far, haven't released any results. Again, I don't know if it was a publicity stunt for a movie, but I wouldn't be surprised.