How did Win Butler and Régine Chassagne meet? A look into Arcade Fire co-founder’s relationship amid separation

Win Butler and Régine Chassagne of the Canadian indie rock band Arcade Fire are separating after 22 years of marriage. Butler is 45, and Chassagne is 49 years old.

The band announced the couple's separation in an Instagram post on October 31, writing:

"After a long and loving marriage, Win & Régine have decided to separate. They continue to love, admire, and support each other as they co-parent their son."

Hinting at the future of the band, the statement added:

"Their work in Haiti with KANPE continues, and their bond as creative soulmates will endure, as will Arcade Fire. The band send their love and look forward to seeing you all on tour soon."

Meanwhile, news of Win Butler and Régine Chassagne's separation left many fans saddened, with one commenting:

"I don’t really care about relationships of celebs or even people I’m fans of, but Arcade Fire is different. They’ve been my favorite band for half my life. I looked up to them. Win and Regine were like The Couple for me. This is so f**king sad."

"end of an era," another user stated.

"Wow, didn’t see this coming at all…" another user commented.

According to CBS News, Butler and Régine met in 2001 at McGill University in Montreal. They married two years later in 2003, and welcomed their only child, a son, in April 2013.

In a 2014 interview with the outlet, Butler recalled that Chassagne played in a medieval band in shopping malls, while he "sang jazz in a grocery store opening, which was pretty funny at 8 a.m." They later moved in together in Montreal's Mile End neighbourhood, where they made their recording studio.

The following year after their marriage, Arcade Fire released their debut album, Funeral. The band, whose current lineup involves Butler, Chassagne, Richard Reed Parry, Tim Kingsbury, and Jeremy Gara, also went on to win a Grammy for their 2011 album The Suburbs.

Win Butler's s*xual misconduct allegations explored

After more than 20 years of marriage, Arcade Fire's Win Butler and Régine Chassagne are separating https://t.co/UCLgQJpJOs

— Pitchfork (@pitchfork) October 30, 2025

In August 2022, multiple women accused Win Butler of se*xual misconduct. According to a report from Pitchfork, among them, three women were "devoted" Arcade Fire fans, and the interactions occurred between 2016 and 2020. The fourth person, who is gender fluid, claimed that Butler s*xually assaulted them twice in 2015.

In response to the allegations, Butler told the outlet that his relationships with the accusers were "consensual," and apologized to anyone whom "I have hurt with my behavior."

"As I look to the future, I am continuing to learn from my mistakes and working hard to become a better person, someone my son can be proud of. [...] I’m sorry I wasn’t more aware and tuned in to the effect I have on people - I fucked up, and while not an excuse, I will continue to look forward and heal what can be healed, and learn from past experiences," he added.

He went on to describe Régine as his "soulmate," saying "I love Régine with all of my heart," while admitting that he had "consensual relationships outside of my marriage."

"She is my partner in music and in life, my soulmate and I am lucky and grateful to have her by my side. But at times, it has been difficult to balance being the father, husband, and bandmate that I want to be. Today I want to clear the air about my life, poor judgment, and mistakes I have made," he added.

Win further claimed that the "majority of these relationships were short lived, and my wife is aware – our marriage has, in the past, been more unconventional than some."

At the time, Chassagne also referred to Win as her "soulmate" and expressed her support for him.

"Win is my soulmate, my songwriting partner, my husband, the father of my beautiful boy. He has been my partner in life and in music for 20 years. And for all of the love in our lives, I have also watched him suffer through immense pain. I have stood by him because I know he is a good man who cares about this world, our band, his fans, friends, and our family," she said.

Stay tuned for more updates.