Tag: Smashing

USA TODAY – Bill Burr’s latest podcast appearance turned into an unexpected (alleged) family reunion.

When the comedian, 56, was a guest on Tuesday’s episode of the “Howie Mandel Does Stuff” podcast, a surprise special guest entered: Smashing Pumpkins guitarist Billy Corgan, 57, who previously theorized that he and Burr may be half-brothers.

Corgan revealed on “Howie Mandel Does Stuff” in November that about 10 years ago, his stepmother told him she believes 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,” Corgan said. He insisted at the time that he was not joking, though he clarified that after sitting on it, he doesn’t actually think they’re related.

So during Mandel’s Tuesday interview with Burr, the “America’s Got Talent” judge revealed he had a surprise planned and brought out Corgan. The moment the musician walked in, Burr cursed at Mandel and expressed frustration over the situation, though in a playful way.

“Did you ever think the fact that I never told that story, that maybe you shouldn’t?” Burr jokingly asked Corgan, who expressed surprise that Burr wasn’t aware he would be coming.

The comedian laughed as he asked Corgan why he felt “the need” to float the idea that they might be related before roasting him for being a fan of the Chicago Cubs. Burr later clarified he wasn’t mad at Corgan, but he jokingly tore into Mandel for setting the encounter up for “ratings,” calling it “rude” and saying a podcast wasn’t the appropriate venue for them to meet.

So the internet was on fire this week with the brain-melting theory that Bill Burr and Billy Corgan might be half-brothers. Yes, you read that right. The comic who yells at clueless pedestrians, incompetent drivers, and basically all of Boston… sharing a gene pool with the Smashing Pumpkins frontman who wrote entire albums about sadness and heartbreak. 

That’s like mixing Red Bull with a bottle of sleeping pills. I can’t decide if it’s hilarious or horrifying.

Here’s how this entire thing unfolded- 

Billy Corgan went on Howie Mandel’s podcast, (apparently that’s really a thing) and casually dropped the bomb that his wandering musician dad might’ve fathered 12 kids, one of whom could be Bill Burr.

Bill Burr, who is 56, has always been known to have a dad who was a dentist named Robert Burr. So the idea that Bill’s father was actually some traveling musician playing God knows where is already a curveball.

Corgan insists he doesn’t totally believe the theory, it’s more “like that thing where Bono looks like Robin Williams.” But the internet ate it up.

Fast-forward to this week, Burr is invited back to Howie Mandel’s show. Probably to talk about his new special or rant about shit. 

But nope. Mendel decided to spring Billy Corgan from behind a curtain like a lost episode of Jerry Springer meets Maury Povich.

It was pretty fucked up when you think about it.

KFC did a pretty good breakdown on how bizarre of a moment it was and how caught off guard Burr seemed to be. 

Let’s talk about the level of cringe here. If you’ve ever caught a Jerry Springer episode, you know the moment: Some unsuspecting victim is waiting on stage, clueless, and Jerry goes, “Well, there’s someone here who has something to tell you,” and the crowd collectively claps their hands in glee, anticipating a fight, a baby reveal, or at least somebody’s world to be crushed and life to be flipped upside down. 

That is precisely what Howie Mandel tried to do- except it was (A) a podcast, and (B) Bill Burr in his mid-50s and Billy Corgan in his late 50s. 

These guys are a little old for paternity-test theatrics. They both have zero hair. Nobody’s going to throw a folding chair. So what was the fucking endgame?

Apparently, Mandel believed he was staging the feel-good (or super dramatic) reveal of the year. 

Instead, Bill Burr looked at him like, “What the fuck is wrong with you?” and Billy Corgan was all, “I thought you were in on this, Bill.” 

Giphy Images.

It was beyond awkward.

Cue Burr basically calling out Howie for being a total tool, with Corgan nodding along like, “Yeah, this is kinda messed up.”

Imagine learning you might be half-siblings on a lame fucking has-been’s podcast, with cameras rolling and some random emotional piano music tinkling in the background. 

This is straight-up Maury Povich territory. All that’s missing is an envelope and a crowd chanting, “You are the father!” 

Howie basically tried to go full “Daytime TV Circus.” The difference is that Maury would’ve at least cut to a commercial break before the meltdown. Howie just leaves the room so the potential half-brothers can “bond.” 

Next thing you know, the Mandel’s daughter vacates, and Billy Bush wanders in to apologize for having hair?

Bizarre doesn’t even begin to describe it all. 

I’m a skeptic. We know Bill Burr has a new special, and Billy Corgan and Smashing Pumpkins supposedly have something in the works. 

I’d be lying if I said I didn’t suspect there’s some top-secret Netflix docu-series in the pipeline. “Me & My Maybe-Bro: A Burr-Corgan Story.”  The two bald, pale, sometimes-angry redheads find out they were separated by a traveling musician father. They hug it out in a final scene scored by an acoustic version of “1979.”

If not, then it better make for some legendary material from Burr in his next special. 

And he better fucking torch Howie Mandel for this. Either way.

The guy is a germaphobe legend in his own mind, from game shows and America’s Got Talent. Suddenly he’s out here ambushing his guests with potential paternal bombs. That’s some next-level asshole move.

Butttttt, it would be kind of cool if these two ended up being related via a deadbeat father. The material alone that Burr will have about his weirdo half-brother will be gold.