Billy Joel’s wife, Alexis Roderick Joel, is speaking out about her journey with endometriosis.
Alexis, who has been married to the 75-year-old rock legend since 2015, struggled with debilitating symptoms, misdiagnoses and failed surgeries for years before later discovering that she was suffering from the frequently misunderstood condition in which tissue similar to the lining of the uterus grows outside the uterus.
During the time in which Alexis was battling her then-unknown disease and experiencing chronic pain, she was also raising her two young children and accompanying Billy while he performed at concerts around the world.
While speaking with Fox News Digital, Alexis admitted that being on tour with Billy and her children while dealing with the symptoms of endometriosis had been “really rough.”
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“I was doing it, but I was not doing it very well,” she said.
Alexis continued, “So, especially with kids, if you’ve ever traveled with children and done a time zone change, that alone is an insane situation. So, if you add in also having a husband, that requires time and attention — you know, he’s working, we’re not vacationing. And me going through what I’m going through, it was really rough.
“Luckily, when he’s touring, we have a lot of support, which was really helpful,” And it was huge. So I’m lucky in that I do have people to help me. And you have to, because you reach your limit. I mean, there’s nothing you can do.”
Alexis and the “Piano Man’ singer share daughters Della, 9, and Remy, 7. Billy is also father to daughter Alexa Ray Joel, 39, whom he shares with his ex-wife Christie Brinkley, 71.
Alexis explained that it was an especially challenging time because neither she nor Billy knew what was causing her symptoms.
“We all entered this not knowing anything about it, I think as most of us do,” she explained. “And it’s difficult because I know that I didn’t feel well.”
“And I also know I didn’t want him to tell me that I didn’t feel well,” Alexis continued with a laugh. “Your fuse is very short at that point when you’re dealing with two little kids traveling the world and you’re in excruciating pain. And every day, you don’t know what your day is going to be like, so it’s difficult to plan.”
WATCH: Billy Joel’s wife Alexis Joel shares warnings signs of endometriosis
“But as time has gone on, he’s extremely supportive,” she added. “So picking up where I leave off and covering my deficits during that time was huge. We’re just always researching — he’ll email me articles like ‘Did you know that this happens with endometriosis?'”
“Never in a million years would I think that he would be sending me that kind of stuff, but when you’re watching someone suffer, you pick up. You have to. It’s what we do, we’re a family.”
Over the past few months, Billy has been struggling with health challenges of his own.
In March, the five-time Grammy Award winner shared a statement on social media in which it was announced that he was postponing eight tour dates due to a “medical condition.”
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“The current tour will be postponed for four months to allow him to recover from recent surgery and to undergo physical therapy under the supervision of his doctors,” the statement read.
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“Joel is expected to make a full recovery. The tour will resume at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh on July 5, 2025.”
Billy shared a personal comment as well, writing, “While I regret postponing any shows, my health must come first. I look forward to getting back on stage and sharing the joy of live music with our amazing fans. Thank you for your understanding.”
During her interview with Fox News Digital, Alexis shared an update on her husband’s health.
“He’s doing well,” she said. “It’s funny, I was just having this conversation the other day. He’s going to be 76. And I don’t think of him that way. People don’t think of him in that way, but he is. And he’s been doing this job nonstop for 15 years — just this recent run.”
“With the exception of COVID, he’s been working every two weeks for 15-plus years,” Alexis continued. “And it’s a lot. At 75, 76, there comes a time where you can’t always plan out everything you need to do a year and a half in advance, you know? And that’s how long these schedules are. That’s when you’re booking things. You’re booking it that long prior.”
“So, sometimes your health has to take priority, and things have to get postponed,” she noted. “But really, in the grand scheme of things, he’s a healthy person, and he’s well and working on himself, trying to get better and do what he has to do medically. So it’s important, you know, we need him around so he has to do what he has to do. I had to do what I had to do. Now he has to do what he has to do.”
“But at least I’m able to pick up his deficits now, so it’s OK.”
Alexis, who usually stays out of the spotlight, first went public with her health battle in a post shared on Billy’s Instagram page during Endometriosis Awareness Month in March.
She posted a photo of herself posing with Dr. Tamer Seckin, who she described in the caption as her “earth angel.” Seckin is a New York-based gynecologist, laparoscopic surgeon and endometriosis specialist who co-founded the Endometriosis Foundation of America (EndoFound) with celebrity chef Padma Lakshmi in 2009. In her post, Alexis recalled how she had found Seckin and how he had been able to treat her condition.
“We all have war stories, and I am no different: years of pain, misdiagnosis, failed surgeries, followed by internal bleeding, and most importantly, Doctor after Doctor telling me I was fine,” Alexis wrote. “I ran the gamut from ‘It’s all in your head’ to ‘Just get a hysterectomy.'”
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She continued, “I had gone to my third ER out of excruciating pain. I was non-functional. This was the moment I just started researching specialists and everything pointed me to him.”
WATCH: Billy Joel’s wife Alexis Joel shares how singer supported during her battle with endometriosis
“One surgery later, 27 lesions removed, one less appendix and my entire abdominal cavity rid of this horrible disease. I am forever grateful,” Alexis added. “The work he does with The Endometriosis Foundation of America is so important to this battle. They work to raise awareness, implement teaching in schools, and continue his research for the next generation. Our family has privately supported this work, but in honor of March being Endometriosis Awareness Month, I wanted to do my part to help others who are unheard. It is a tough road, but believe in yourself and find your earth angel – they are out there!”
On May 1, Billy joined Alexis as she spoke at a press conference to announce the grand opening of the Seckin Endometriosis Center for Women’s Health at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL). EndoFound and CSHL partnered to establish the center, which was named after Seckin. According to a press release, it is the first dedicated endometriosis research center within a leading U.S. basic science institution.
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Billy later posted photos from the event on his Instagram page, noting in the caption that the Joel Foundation, which he co-founded with Alexis, supports the work of EndoFound.
Endometriosis is estimated to affect more than one in 10 women of reproductive age — over 200 million worldwide. Though surgery can help alleviate pain from endometriosis, symptoms may eventually return. There is currently no cure for endometriosis.
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During her interview with Fox News Digital, Alexis shared details about the work that will be conducted at the Seckin Endometriosis Center for Women’s Health.
WATCH: Billy Joel’s wife, Alexis Joel, reflects on hardest part of endometriosis battle
“Cold Spring Harbor Lab is a location that is world-class in what they do as far as research at a molecular level,” she said.
By co-founding EndoFound with Lakshmi, Seckin launched the first phase of funding research and education about endometriosis, according to Alexis.
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“And through his work, surgically, he came upon someone who was affiliated with Cold Spring Harbor Lab. And they began the discussions of placing all his specimens here. And it’s actually the perfect location,” she said.
