{"id":57609,"date":"2025-08-10T12:26:11","date_gmt":"2025-08-10T12:26:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/57609\/"},"modified":"2025-08-10T12:26:11","modified_gmt":"2025-08-10T12:26:11","slug":"billy-joels-ex-wife-breaks-silence-on-his-homewrecker-label-after-leaving-her-first-husband-for-singer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/57609\/","title":{"rendered":"Billy Joel&#8217;s ex-wife breaks silence on his &#8216;homewrecker&#8217; label after leaving her first husband for singer"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\"><a style=\"font-weight: bold;\" target=\"_self\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dailymail.co.uk\/tvshowbiz\/billy-joel\/index.html\" id=\"mol-916825e0-7584-11f0-90cb-714acb2722b8\" class=\"\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Billy Joel<\/a>&#8216;s ex-wife Elizabeth Weber has addressed his &#8216;homewrecker&#8217; label after she left her first husband for the singer.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">The 76-year-old Piano Man hitmaker was in a rock band called Attila with best friend Jon Small &#8211; who had been married to Elizabeth.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">When still married to Jon, both she and Billy embarked in an affair &#8211; which resulted in the disbandment of the rock duo. The Uptown Girl hitmaker also recently <a style=\"font-weight: bold;\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dailymail.co.uk\/tvshowbiz\/article-14787737\/Billy-Joel-suicide-attempts-coma-affair-friends-wife.html\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">confessed that\u00a0he had attempted suicide twice and fell into a coma after the infidelity<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">Billy and Elizabeth eventually tied the knot in 1973, but their divorce was finalized nearly a decade later in 1982.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">However during an interview with <a style=\"font-weight: bold;\" class=\"\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.usmagazine.com\/entertainment\/news\/billy-joels-ex-wife-elizabeth-weber-defends-him-from-homewrecker-claims\/\">Us Weekly<\/a> on Friday, Elizabeth revealed, &#8216;I never thought of Bill as the homewrecker.&#8217;\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">She then added that she needed to &#8216;tread carefully&#8217; and explained she &#8216;didn&#8217;t have a great romance&#8217; with Jon.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>   <img decoding=\"async\" id=\"i-49b4c0fe79914968\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/101075653-14986581-Billy_Joel_s_ex_wife_Elizabeth_Weber_has_addressed_his_homewreck-a-9_175478752721.jpeg\" height=\"844\" width=\"634\" alt=\"Billy Joel's ex-wife Elizabeth Weber has addressed his 'homewrecker' label after she left her first husband for the singer; the former couple seen in 1981 in NYC\" class=\"blkBorder img-share\" style=\"max-width:100%\" loading=\"lazy\" \/>   <\/p>\n<p class=\"imageCaption\">Billy Joel&#8217;s ex-wife Elizabeth Weber has addressed his &#8216;homewrecker&#8217; label after she left her first husband for the singer; the former couple seen in 1981 in NYC\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>   <img decoding=\"async\" id=\"i-f1ca16320d51da35\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/101075655-14986581-However_during_an_interview_with_Us_Weekly_on_Friday_Elizabeth_r-a-10_17547875274.jpeg\" height=\"892\" width=\"634\" alt=\"However during an interview with Us Weekly on Friday, Elizabeth revealed, 'I never thought of Bill as the homewrecker; seen in June in NYC\" class=\"blkBorder img-share\" style=\"max-width:100%\" loading=\"lazy\" \/>   <\/p>\n<p class=\"imageCaption\">However during an interview with Us Weekly on Friday, Elizabeth revealed, &#8216;I never thought of Bill as the homewrecker; seen in June in NYC\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">&#8216;The home was wrecked.\u00a0We didn&#8217;t have a deep connection, Jon and I. Almost in a way, my life began again when my son was born. Sean just lit up every room.&#8217;<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">Elizabeth shares son Sean with ex-husband Jon.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">&#8216;He was an adorable, precocious child. So I really never thought of Bill as a homewrecker because there wasn&#8217;t much home to wreck,&#8217; she expressed to the outlet.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">In regards to her past relationship with the singer, she stated that they both &#8216;became, like, an arc.&#8217;\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">The mom-of-one further explained, &#8216;We were unto ourselves with Sean. So, I wasn&#8217;t seeking anyone&#8217;s approval because while I don&#8217;t really play an instrument anymore, I&#8217;m kind of rock and roll, too.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">&#8216;I&#8217;m outside of the boundaries. And I decided in those days that I wanted to live a certain life.&#8217;\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">In the years following their divorce, Elizabeth said that they are still in contact with each other but not as close.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">&#8216;If I wanna talk to him or if I have something to say, I am able to contact him whenever I want to.&#8217;\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>   <img decoding=\"async\" id=\"i-b15f210c58117584\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/101075867-14986581-When_still_married_to_Jon_both_she_and_Billy_embarked_in_an_affa-a-36_17547885870.jpeg\" height=\"488\" width=\"634\" alt=\"When still married to Jon, both she and Billy embarked in an affair - which resulted in the disbandment of the rock duo; Billy (left) and Jon (right) seen in 1970 for their rock duo Attila\" class=\"blkBorder img-share\" style=\"max-width:100%\" loading=\"lazy\" \/>   <\/p>\n<p class=\"imageCaption\">When still married to Jon, both she and Billy embarked in an affair &#8211; which resulted in the disbandment of the rock duo; Billy (left) and Jon (right) seen in 1970 for their rock duo Attila\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>   <img decoding=\"async\" id=\"i-e4ebf128b44c3051\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/101075657-14986581-The_mom_of_one_further_explained_We_were_unto_ourselves_with_Sea-m-39_17547886779.jpeg\" height=\"768\" width=\"634\" alt=\"The mom-of-one further explained, 'We were unto ourselves with Sean. So, I wasn't seeking anyone's approval because while I don't really play an instrument anymore, I'm kind of rock and roll, too'; Billy and Elizabeth seen in 1979\" class=\"blkBorder img-share\" style=\"max-width:100%\" loading=\"lazy\" \/>   <\/p>\n<p class=\"imageCaption\">The mom-of-one further explained, &#8216;We were unto ourselves with Sean. So, I wasn&#8217;t seeking anyone&#8217;s approval because while I don&#8217;t really play an instrument anymore, I&#8217;m kind of rock and roll, too&#8217;; Billy and Elizabeth seen in 1979\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">However, she noted that the singer has moved on and married fourth wife Alexis Roderick in 2015 &#8211; and the pair are also parents to two children.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">&#8216;But,\u00a0he has a wife and he has children and, right now, he&#8217;s struggling with something that&#8217;s&#8230;that&#8217;s a big thing.&#8217;\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">Earlier this year in May, the Piano Man singer announced that he has been diagnosed with a\u00a0brain disorder called normal pressure hydrocephalus (NPH).\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">The star canceled his upcoming concerts at the time, with the condition affecting his &#8216;hearing, vision, and balance.&#8217;\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">However, the disorder is treatable and Billy <a style=\"font-weight: bold;\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dailymail.co.uk\/tvshowbiz\/article-14926057\/billy-joel-breaks-silence-brain-disorder-career.html\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">gave a health update in June saying he &#8216;feels fine.&#8217;\u00a0<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">Last month in July, both Billy and Elizabeth candidly reflected on their affair for HBO&#8217;s documentary\u00a0Billy Joel: And So It Goes.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">The performer\u00a0opened up like never before &#8211; revealing he attempted suicide twice and fell into a coma after having an affair with his best friend&#8217;s wife.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">In his early 20s, Billy was living with his Attila bandmate and best friend Jon, along with Jon&#8217;s wife Elizabeth and their young son, when he began a secret affair with her.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">&#8216;I felt very, very guilty about it. They had a child. I felt like a homewrecker,&#8217; Billy explained in the documentary. &#8216;I was just in love with a woman and I got punched in the nose &#8211; which I deserved. Jon was very upset. I was very upset.&#8217;\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>   <img decoding=\"async\" id=\"i-df751849fcbb2448\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/101075659-14986581-image-m-41_1754789340968.jpg\" height=\"666\" width=\"634\" alt=\"In the years following their divorce, Elizabeth said that they are still in contact with each other but not as close; Billy and Elizabeth seen in 1978 in New York\" class=\"blkBorder img-share\" style=\"max-width:100%\" loading=\"lazy\" \/>   <\/p>\n<p class=\"imageCaption\">In the years following their divorce, Elizabeth said that they are still in contact with each other but not as close; Billy and Elizabeth seen in 1978 in New York\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>   <img decoding=\"async\" id=\"i-64e48be767f32dbf\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/101075993-14986581-image-a-42_1754789503874.jpg\" height=\"423\" width=\"634\" alt=\"'I felt very, very guilty about it. They had a child. I felt like a homewrecker,' Billy explained in the documentary. 'I was just in love with a woman and I got punched in the nose - which I deserved. Jon was very upset. I was very upset'; seen in 2024 in Tokyo\" class=\"blkBorder img-share\" style=\"max-width:100%\" loading=\"lazy\" \/>   <\/p>\n<p class=\"imageCaption\">&#8216;I felt very, very guilty about it. They had a child. I felt like a homewrecker,&#8217; Billy explained in the documentary. &#8216;I was just in love with a woman and I got punched in the nose &#8211; which I deserved. Jon was very upset. I was very upset&#8217;; seen in 2024 in Tokyo\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">The fallout ended Attila, shattered Billy&#8217;s friendship with Jon, and left the future Piano Man broken and alone after Elizabeth took off &#8211; though they would eventually reunite.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">&#8216;I had no place to live. I was sleeping in laundromats and I was depressed, I think to the point of almost being psychotic,&#8217; he said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">&#8216;So I figured, &#8220;That&#8217;s it. I don&#8217;t want to live anymore.&#8221; I was just in a lot of pain and it was sort of like, why hang out? Tomorrow&#8217;s going to be just like today, and today sucks. So I just thought I&#8217;d end it all.&#8217;<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">At the height of his breakdown, Billy turned to his sister, Judy Molinari, who was working as a medical assistant at the time.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">Hoping to help him rest, she gave him some sleeping pills &#8211; never expecting what would happen next.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">&#8216;But Billy decided that he was going to take all of them\u2026 he was in a coma for days and days and days,&#8217; she recalled in the documentary.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">&#8216;I went to go see him in the hospital, and he was laying there white as a sheet. I thought that I&#8217;d killed him.&#8217;<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">&#8216;I was very selfish,&#8217; he said, reflecting on the mindset that led to his first suicide attempt.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">Waking up in the hospital, Billy said he didn&#8217;t feel relief or regret &#8211; instead, he became fixated on making a second attempt. Judy revealed that Billy&#8217;s second attempt involved drinking a bottle of Lemon Pledge furniture polish.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">It was Jon &#8211; despite their fractured friendship &#8211; who rushed him to the hospital.<\/p>\n<p>   <img decoding=\"async\" id=\"i-cb571f5050229ee7\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/101075991-14986581-image-a-43_1754790369867.jpg\" height=\"817\" width=\"634\" alt=\"'I had no place to live. I was sleeping in laundromats and I was depressed, I think to the point of almost being psychotic,' he said; Billy seen in 1978\" class=\"blkBorder img-share\" style=\"max-width:100%\" loading=\"lazy\" \/>   <\/p>\n<p class=\"imageCaption\">&#8216;I had no place to live. I was sleeping in laundromats and I was depressed, I think to the point of almost being psychotic,&#8217; he said; Billy seen in 1978\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">&#8216;Even though our friendship was blowing up, Jon saved my life,&#8217; Billy said.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">Jon later reflected on why the betrayal may have hit Billy so hard.\u00a0&#8216;He never really said anything to me.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">&#8216;The only practical answer I can give as to why Billy took it so hard was because he loved me that much and that it killed him to hurt me that much. Eventually I forgave him.&#8217;<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">After surviving the attempts, Billy voluntarily admitted himself into an &#8216;observation ward.&#8217; He was released after a couple of weeks.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">The singer&#8217;s\u00a0heartbreak and depression fueled his 1971 debut album Cold Spring Harbor, including the track She&#8217;s Got a Way, inspired by Elizabeth.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">The two eventually rekindled their romance, marrying in 1973, with Elizabeth stepping in as his manager soon after.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">Elizabeth also inspired other hits like The Stranger, She&#8217;s Always a Woman, and even appeared as the &#8216;waitress practicing politics&#8217; in Piano Man.<\/p>\n<p>   <img decoding=\"async\" id=\"i-e4380094d705e069\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/101076075-14986581-image-a-46_1754790634639.jpg\" height=\"831\" width=\"634\" alt=\"Elizabeth also inspired other hits like The Stranger, She's Always a Woman, and even appeared as the 'waitress practicing politics' in Piano Man; former couple seen in 1981\" class=\"blkBorder img-share\" style=\"max-width:100%\" loading=\"lazy\" \/>   <\/p>\n<p class=\"imageCaption\">Elizabeth also inspired other hits like The Stranger, She&#8217;s Always a Woman, and even appeared as the &#8216;waitress practicing politics&#8217; in Piano Man; former couple seen in 1981\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>   <img decoding=\"async\" id=\"i-67e7cdf947045592\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/101076073-14986581-image-a-45_1754790595629.jpg\" height=\"489\" width=\"634\" alt=\"'He does have issues, but he said, &quot;Yeah, you can tell people, I'm not dying,&quot;' Howard said on his Sirius XM show The Howard Stern Show, adding, 'He wants people to know that'; Billy seen in 2024 in Las Vegas\" class=\"blkBorder img-share\" style=\"max-width:100%\" loading=\"lazy\" \/>   <\/p>\n<p class=\"imageCaption\">&#8216;He does have issues, but he said, &#8220;Yeah, you can tell people, I&#8217;m not dying,&#8221;&#8216; Howard said on his Sirius XM show The Howard Stern Show, adding, &#8216;He wants people to know that&#8217;; Billy seen in 2024 in Las Vegas\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">However, her patience ran out amid Billy&#8217;s escalating substance abuse, and she left both as his manager and wife around the time of his 1982 motorcycle accident.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">Meanwhile, Billy recently updated longtime friend Howard Stern on his health after revealing he&#8217;s been battling the brain condition called normal pressure hydrocephalus (NPH).\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">&#8216;He does have issues, but he said, &#8220;Yeah, you can tell people, I&#8217;m not dying,&#8221;&#8216; Howard said on his Sirius XM show The Howard Stern Show, adding, &#8216;He wants people to know that.&#8217;<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health challenges, emotional distress, substance use problems, or just needs to talk, call or text 988, or chat at 988lifeline.org 24\/7.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Billy Joel&#8216;s ex-wife Elizabeth Weber has addressed his &#8216;homewrecker&#8217; label after she left her first husband for the&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":57610,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[32],"tags":[64,63,9053,447,100,134,2017],"class_list":["post-57609","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-celebrities","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-billy-joel","tag-celebrities","tag-dailymail","tag-entertainment","tag-tvshowbiz"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/57609","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=57609"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/57609\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/57610"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=57609"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=57609"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=57609"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}