What Are People Getting Wrong This Week: Are Bill Burr and Billy Corgan Brothers?
Legendary Smashing Pumpkins frontman Bill Corgan and confrontational comedian Bill Burr look alike – they both have shaved heads, stubble beards, blue eyes and similar facial structures. They are so similar that they could be brothers; so similar that many people think they are brothers. While this is possible, these people are probably wrong.
Why do people think Bill Corgan and Bill Burr are brothers?
The rumor started with Corgan appearing on Howie Mandel’s podcast back in January. In the series, Corgan recalls the following conversation, which he says took place ten years ago:
My stepmother said to me, “Do you know who Bill Burr is?” At that point, I had never heard of Bill Burr… She said, “Well, he’s such a comedian…” And I think I even somehow brought up the photo on my phone and kind of immediately remarked, “Gee, he really looks like my dad.” Bill Burr is more like my father than Bill Burr is like me or I am like Bill Burr. So I said to my mother, “Why are you asking me this?”… She said, “I think he might be one of your father’s illegitimate children. Bill Burr may be one of the children your father fathered during his days as a traveling musician… My father once told me that I had a half-brother named Bill who was born around the same time as me.”
Many people are similar to other people, so it doesn’t really matter, and one piece of family lore is far from conclusive, but this evidence was apparently enough for Mandel to try to get to the bottom of it, in perhaps the worst possible way.
Corgan and Burr: The worst. Family. Reunion. Always.
On a later episode of Howie Mandel Does Stuff, Mandel hosted Bill Burr and surprised the comedian with a special appearance by Corgan so the pair could compare notes on their fathers. Despite Mandel’s assurances that he “did it out of love,” the ambush was unsuccessful.
“You’re an asshole,” Burr tells Mandel. “He’s just doing it for the ratings,” Burr adds.
Corgan says he was told Burr knew he would appear on the series, but it appears Burr had no idea. Eventually Mandel leaves the couple alone to discuss everything. This is an unpleasant and creepy conversation. Burr says his father had several families. Corgan says his father told him he was a musician, while Burr’s father told him he was a dentist. Corgan notes that Bill Burr can’t sing and Billy Corgan isn’t funny, so maybe they’re not related. This doesn’t really lead to any conclusion.
Ultimately, Corgan and Burr’s marital status is inconclusive.
The point is that there is no good reason to believe that Bill and Billy have the same father. “They look alike” and “my mom said something once” are not enough evidence to believe this rumor (even if Burr and Corgan believe it). Unless the DNA test results are made public, I would put it in the “probably not true” category.
It’s extremely unlikely that any one person would become famous – there are plenty of singers and comedians – and it seems astronomically unlikely that two people would become Burr/Corgan-level famous, but in two different fields. We’re not talking about unpopular kids. The unique combination of talent, determination, individuality and luck that makes up the careers of any of these men is almost never seen. Two half-brothers could work this all out independently, but that would be one hell of a coincidence.
The results of the impromptu “family reunion” on air are inconclusive. Burr often refers to “our father” on the podcast and generally seems to accept the assumption that they have the same father, but he may be playing along with what Mandel established. Burr is a comedian, so he knows how to run with an idea. He appeared on Mandel’s show to promote the upcoming project and seemed to be a runaway success. I have no evidence of either, and my gut tells me it’s true, but I wouldn’t be surprised if the whole thing turned out to be an elaborate set-up designed to get people talking and further the careers of all three; this won’t be the first time. Speaking of…
Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson are probably not brothers either
Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson are also similar. Unlike Corgan and Burr, the actors are friends, but there are rumors that they are also brothers.
Just as Corgan’s mother suggested he was related to Burr, McConaughey’s mom suggested a possible familial relationship with Harrelson. “We’re all sitting in Greece one night talking, and out of nowhere, in a little pause, my mom says, ‘Oh, I knew your dad, Woody…'” McConaughey said in the interview .
“And we all thought, ‘What does the ellipsis mean?’ …And she says, “Just saying, we might frequent the same place in West Texas one day when he was on vacation.” »
The couple have mentioned taking DNA tests in the past, but have not yet made any results public. Again, I don’t know if this was a publicity stunt for the film, but I wouldn’t be surprised.