Christie Brinkley Says Marriages May Be “Outmoded” — Offers Five-Year Renewal Idea After Four Divorces

Hi, I’m Quinn Parker, and yes I drank too much coffee before writing this, so buckle up because I have opinions and receipts.

Christie Brinkley, the 71-year-old supermodel and author, stirred the relationship pot on the “Are You a Charlotte?” podcast when she suggested that marriage might be an “outmoded construction” and proposed a practical, slightly radical fix: make marriages renewable every five years. The idea is simple, candid, and just the sort of cheeky social experiment that makes you squint and then think. Brinkley floated this during a chat with host Kristin Davis, arguing periodic renewal could let couples leave without the court drama if the spark fades. Her comment lands heavy because Brinkley knows this territory firsthand; she’s been married four times, to Jean-François Allaux (1973–1981), Billy Joel (1985–1994), Richard Taubman (1994–1995), and Peter Cook (1996–2008).

Look, this isn’t just hot air from someone with a good publicist. Brinkley has publicly reflected on her relationships before, including telling The New York Times in July that she’s “too trusting” and “a fool for love.” She admitted she wished she’d found ways to save some relationships and regretted marrying others, which adds texture to her renewal pitch: it’s coming from someone who’s loved, lost, and learned. On the HBO documentary “Billy Joel: And So It Goes,” she described how that marriage deteriorated as his schedule and drinking intensified, leaving her feeling adrift and asking herself, “What am I even doing here?” That’s a blunt admission that bolsters her argument about marriage needing new frameworks to protect emotional health.

If the five-year renewal plan sounds like corporate contract language slipped into romantic life, that’s kind of the point: make attachment voluntary, periodic, and honest. Brinkley suggested that re-upping periodically could avoid “all the lawyers and all that stuff” when people outgrow each other. It’s a pragmatic, almost millennial-friendly solution from someone whose traditional-marriage résumé reads like a soap-opera timeline. And yes, she’s had a parenting win among the chaos: Brinkley shares three children—Alexa, 39, with Billy Joel, and Jack, 30, and Sailor, 27, with Peter Cook.

Brinkley also revealed a modern twist on dating: her daughter Sailor put her on dating apps, uninvited, and Brinkley was surprised to find her results mirrored Sailor’s. She told Davis that men who swiped right on her daughter often swiped right on her too, a generational wink that made Brinkley quip about the strange democratization of desirability online. She chronicled more of these relationship revelations in her memoir Uptown Girl, admitting she initially resisted writing painful chapters but knew those honest parts would resonate; publishers agreed they were necessary because divorce and heartbreak are universal theater.

This conversation matters because it’s less celebrity gossip and more cultural nudge. When a public figure with multiple marriages and a candid record of reflection suggests structural alternatives to lifelong vows, it forces a public conversation about whether institutions that once anchored society still serve the people within them. Brinkley’s proposal isn’t law; it’s a thought experiment from a woman who’s lived the messy reality of love and loss and still believes love can be learned and revised.

So what now? Will anyone actually draft five-year marriage renewal clauses, or will this remain a provocative idea that makes great podcast soundbites? Either way, Christie’s comments—backed by her history, memoir admissions, and on-camera reflections—give us a lot to chew on between coffee sips. Okay, someone get me another espresso; I have feelings about this.

Sources: Celebrity Storm and Are You a Charlotte? podcast, The New York Times, HBO documentary “Billy Joel: And So It Goes”, Uptown Girl (Christie Brinkley memoir)
Attribution: Creative Commons Licensed