who is Billy Joel’s third wife? Here’s everything to know about Katie Lee Biegel and her relationship with the musician.
Billy Joel and Katie Lee connection is one of the many chapters in the singer’s life, a legacy that is the subject of the documentary Billy Joel: And So It Goes. The second part of the film premiered on July 25 on HBO.
The movie about the “Uptown Girl” performer covers his relationships, including his marriage to Katie from 2004 to 2009. The vocalist and foodie met at a Manhattan establishment in 2002, where they quickly got to know each other.
During their marriage, Billy wrote songs about Katie, and she pursued her food passion with his support.
So, who is Billy Joel’s third wife? Here’s everything to know about Katie Lee Biegel and her relationship with the musician.
Katie Lee met Billy in 2002, and they married in 2004.
Katie landed in New York City that November for a short trip. Later, recalling that night for Oprah.com, she laughed that she and a friend stepped onto the rooftop of the Peninsula Hotel and the air turned electric. “I’ve just pushed the bathroom door and—bam—he’s standing there,” she said.
He asked to join them for a drink, and one drink turned into dinner. “Pasta, white truffles, a generous bottle of wine—I think he wanted to impress,” she recalled. “I always joke it was love at first bite. We laughed a lot and we’d both rather be eating than anything else.”
Two years later, they stood in the backyard of his Oyster Bay house, exchanging vows in soft voices. Billy’s daughter, Alexa Ray, carried the rings and wore a lavender dress, filling the air with tiny giggles and a warmth that still warms Katie’s heart.
Katie Lee released her first cookbook in 2008
Katie thought we should start with the cookbook thing: the first one, The Comfort Table, came out in 2008, and then she did a second volume the next year, also called The Comfort Table: Recipes for Everyday Occasions. Fast-forward a few years and she gave us the Endless Summer Cookbook in 2015. Her latest, It’s Not Complicated: Simple Recipes for Every Day, showed up in 2021.
I should probably mention the novel. In 2011 she spent some time away from the kitchen and wrote a surfing story called Groundswell. Hallmark picked it up, and in 2022 they turned it into a TV movie with Lacey Chabert in the lead.
She inspired Billy Joel 2007 song, “All My Life”
Then there’s the 2007 song. Billy’s official website says that “All My Life” was his gift to Katie for their anniversary, and he let it out into the world on Valentine’s Day. It was the first single he’d written and recorded since River of Dreams way back in 1993.
Billy JOEL and KATIE LEE divorced in 2009
During their time together, Billy and Katie turned up hand in hand at charity galas, album launches, and just about every red carpet that needed a little extra shine. Then, in June 2009, they dropped the bomb that they were splitting, and they made sure to add, loud and clear, that it wasn’t dramatic.
“After nearly five years of marriage, Billy Joel and Katie Lee Joel have decided to separate,” publicists said, keeping the tone calm. “This decision is a result of much thoughtful consideration. Billy and Katie remain caring friends, with admiration and respect for each other.”
Earlier that February, Katie had opened up to New York Magazine about the spotlight that came with dating Billy, and how she was learning to step out of it on her own terms.
“I’m the first to admit that the last name helped me get a foot in the door,” she told the reporter. “But I really believe I’m standing on my own two feet now, chasing the dreams that are mine.”
She co-hosts The Kitchen on Food Network, and has her own podcast
“I want the best for him, and I know he wants the best for me,” Katie said. “You just roll with the changes.
She co-hosts The Kitchen for Food Network and has a podcast, too.
Since her divorce from Billy, Katie has firmly stepped into her shine as a culinary television personality. Right now, she’s at the kitchen table on The Kitchen, and she spent four seasons taking surfside bites with viewers on Beach Bites, from 2015 to 2018. She’s also dropped by as a guest judge on the creepy, cupcake-filled Halloween Baking Championship.
Way back in 2006, she kicked off the very first Top Chef. Years later, she reflected and said the cutthroat competition felt, well, a bit cut off for her.
“Top Chef just wasn’t the right fit for me,” she reflected back in 2022. “Figuring that out meant accepting, ‘This is a stellar chance, yet my instincts say no,’ and then letting my ego slide out of the way. It took a minute for me to really process it.”
Beyond her many TV guest appearances, Katie runs her podcast—On the Table with Katie Lee Biegel—and added to her plate in 2023 with the debut of her organic wine venture, Kind of Wild Wines.
She married TV producer Ryan Biegel in 2018
She wed TV producer Ryan Biegel in September 2018, and they chose the Amalfi Coast for the ceremony.
“It felt completely celebratory and so personal,” Katie Lee recalled of the day. “The vibe was even richer than I had hoped it would be.”
September 2020 brought another milestone when Katie and Ryan welcomed their first child, a daughter they named Iris Marion Biegel.
“Our hearts are so full,” Katie posted with a simple, joyful photo a few hours after Iris arrived