Christie Brinkley’s Quotes About Her Marriage to Ex-Husband Billy Joel: Love, Memories and Friendship

On a Grand Gesture

During a July 2019 interview with Social Life Magazine, Christie recalled Christmas morning memories from their marriage.

“When I was married to Billy, one Christmas morning I awoke to find a white horse with a red ribbon waiting for me on the lawn. And it was the first horse of my very own,” the Goldbergs alum said. “Belle Star was her name, and I absolutely loved having a horse that I got to know on a deep level. I knew everything about her: what she was afraid of, what she liked. I would groom her myself, and I just loved that. Then I got other horses and eventually got into cattle cutting.”

On Christmas Morning

Even after their divorce was finalized in 1994, Billy would still join Christie for the holidays.

“Many years after our divorce, Billy would still come to my house for the Christmas sing-along and play the piano, and all our friends would come over and sing Christmas carols. Singalongs are one of my favorite things to do. And you know that’s what makes everybody happy,” she revealed.

On a Potential ‘SNL’ Collaboration

Christie, who is also a mom to kids Sailor and Jack Brinkley Cook, said that she regretted not hosting Saturday Night Live with Billy.

“Not doing Saturday Night Live when they asked me,” she told Us Weekly when asked about her biggest regret in February 2019. When she was asked, they pitched Billy as the musical guest.

“I listened to other people around me who were like, ‘Oh, I don’t know, it hasn’t been as good,’ or ‘The writing has been a little off.’ I should’ve listened to my own self that said, ‘I love this show, I have to do it.’ And I didn’t,” Christie recalled.

On Finding Humor

Christie told People in April 2025 that she and Billy were always able to look at things with humor during their relationship.

“We laughed like you couldn’t believe,” the Michigan native said. “But also he was so sensitive and he did all the old-fashioned things, the flowers, the notes and the poems and the songs. He was going into the recording studio and he was writing all these songs and saying ‘This one’s for you.’ How could I not fall in love with him?”

“When I heard him sing on stage, I found myself undeniably attached to this physically hot and charismatic man.”

On Their Nicknames

Christie revealed that she and Billy had nicknames for each other during their relationship.

“We called each other Bada Bing and Bada Boom,” the mom of three said. “Because we were really like teenagers falling in love. We were suddenly fumbling and stuttering and dropping things.”

On Why Their Marriage Didn’t Work

“To be clear, I never wanted to end things with Billy. But his drinking was bigger than the both of us,” she wrote in her 2025 memoir, Uptown Girl.

“In the end, when the relationship isn’t functioning the way you want it to be anymore — that’s the worst kind of loneliness because you just can’t make it work together and that’s painful,” Christie said.

On Their Relationship Today

Billy and Christie still remain friends after everything they have been through.

”He lives mainly in Florida so we don’t see him as much as when he lived in Sag Harbor, but when he comes by to see Alexa, he’ll come in and say hello,” she said.