The Biggest Country Music Star Breakups

The country music industry has seen its fair share of "achy breaky" hearts. The music genre wouldn't exist without the vulnerability that comes with singing about broken hearts, something any country music fan can relate to. From George Strait to Sam Hunt — generations of talented singers have made a career in the industry pouring their hearts into music — whether it be about love, loss, family, or their good ole' southern roots. While many country music artists have gone on to get married and create a strong family unit — others stars' relationships have been tossed around as if it were a beer can in the back of a pickup truck. 

Being a country music artist means even more pressure on these stars' home lives — given the fact that historically speaking the genre is rooted in conservative values. Country stars not only have the world analyzing their personal lives, but their largely southern fanbase has them under a microscope. It's not uncommon that an artist's fanbase will become invested in their relationships, rooting for their success or nitpicking their faults. Over the years, plenty of country music power couples have gone their separate ways, and the media had a hay day — pun intended — with the aftermath. We're taking a walk down memory lane at the biggest breakups in country music history.

Garth Brooks is without a doubt a country music legend. The "Thunder Rolls" singer earned his rightful spot in the Country Music Hall of Fame as the number-one-selling solo musician in history. While the Oklahoma native was paying his dues working as a bouncer during his time at Oklahoma State University, Sandy Mahl caught his eye. The two met while Brooks was breaking up a bar fight with Mahl at the center of the drama. 

The duo later married in 1986 and went on to have three daughters together. While Brooks skyrocketed to fame after signing to Capital Records in 1988, the pressure of fame took a toll on his relationship with his wife. Mahl opened up about their relationship on an A&E documentary (per Good Housekeeping). "People constantly wanting your attention and yanking and pulling on him," she explained. "He'd be gone eight to 10 weeks at a time. He'd come home, [and] there would be number-one parties, or shows, or CMAs, or ACMs, American Music Awards, so it was constantly going. But we both grew apart really, really quickly."

Mahl and Brooks got divorced in one of the most costly settlement cases country music had ever seen. Brook's former wife was granted a $125 million dollar settlement following the split. Despite their break up, Brooks told Fox News, "my respect and love for her is through the roof for what she went through and how she's handled it as well." The Grammy-winning artist went on to wed country music star Trisha Yearwood in 2005.  

Jake Owen's marriage with Lacey Buchanan was longer than an "Eight Second Ride", but their three-year courtship fizzled out in 2015. Buchanan and the country artist met on the set of his music video for "Eight Second Ride", and they went on to get married in 2012 and welcome their first daughter, Pearl, later that year. Sadly the flames burned out on their love affair and Owen took to Twitter to announce the separation. The "Made For You" singer wrote at the time, "Sadly, Lacey and I have decided to end our marriage. We want to focus on our daughter Pearl and make sure she has a beautiful life with loving parents." The singer added, "This is the hardest thing I've ever done in my life."

The artist had nothing but admiration for Buchanan, however, even dedicating the Garth Brooks hit "The Dance" to her onstage in Minnesota following the split. "If it wasn't for [my wife and my daughter], I wouldn't even be here right now to be a happy man. That's a dance I'm glad I got to dance," he told his fans. Buchanan went on to find love again in 2017 when she announced her engagement to David Auston via Instagram. She went on to have another daughter named Elenora with her now-husband. As for Owen, he's set to wed his fiancé and partner of three years Erica Hartlein. 

Country music star Kenny Chesney and Renée Zellweger had a whirlwind romance when they met in 2005. The two locked eyes during a broadcast of an NBC tsunami telethon, with Zellweger working as a phone operator and Chesney as the musical guest. "They caught each other's eye and the rest, as they say, is history," a source revealed at the time. Zellweger is best known for her critically-acclaimed roles in films like "Chicago" and "Cold Mountain," and her portrayal of Dorothy Boyd in "Jerry Maguire" was the inspiration behind his 1999 track "You Had Me At Hello," six years before he even met his bride to be. 

After just a mere five months of dating, Zellweger and Chesney shocked everyone by tying the knot in an intimate Caribbean ceremony. The union didn't last long, however, as the Oscar-winning star filed to annul the marriage just four short months after she said "I Do." Chesney was shocked by the decision, admitting at the time, "I'm sad, I'm angry, and I'm hurt and confused," he revealed. "This is not what I envisioned my life to be six months ago."

Zellweger stayed hush-hush about the ordeal, saying in her own statement, "Kenny and I decided not to publicly discuss the details of our relationship because we felt that it would be a compromise of personal integrity," she revealed. "I admire Kenny and am grateful for the strength he demonstrated in choosing to honor our decision despite the difficulties."

Shania Twain has released hit after women-empowering hit during her iconic career. Her feminist anthems have gotten many a woman through a breakup, and they might have been inspired by some of her own. The "Man I Feel Like A Woman" artist first got married in 1993 to Robert John "Mutt" Lange, who was a Zambian music producer and composer.

Twain and Lange's relationship evolved quickly, and the two married just six months after meeting, going on to have a son, Eja, together in 2001. Things got complicated when Lange cheated on the "That Don't Impress Me Much" artist, and the two ended their marriage after 14 years together. To make matters worse, Lange cheated on Twain with her then-friend Marie-Anne Thiébaud. But the country music icon had the last laugh, as she ended up remarrying Thiébaud's ex-husband Frédéric.

"I'm able to have more appreciation for him again, not for what happened in our marriage but for all that he contributed to such a great part of my career and my life. We have a beautiful child from it. The resentment is gone," Twain said of her painful divorce. She does have some harsh words for Marie-Anne, however. The artist went on "Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen" and when asked what she would say to her former friend, she responded, "I wish I'd never met you." Marie-Anne's denied the affair in the only interview she gave referencing the incident.

In a moving performance in 2005 for CMT's "Greatest Duets" event, love seemed to be in the air for Miranda Lambert and Blake Shelton. At the time, Shelton was married to Kaynette Williams and Lambert had a fiancé of her own. But despite the hurdles, the two singers broke things off with their partners and made their first red-carpet appearance as a couple in 2007 at the CMT Awards. The two went on to collaborate together on their respective music, quickly earning a reputation as a powerhouse couple and fan-favorite in the country music industry. 

The two country lovebirds tied the knot in a ceremony in Texas in front of country legends like Reba McEntire, Kelly Clarkson, and Dierks Bentley. The couple shared incredible highs together, including winning the Academy of Country Music's "Song of the Year" award for their co-written song "Over You" in 2012. "I've learned so much from this human being standing next to me," Shelton said in their acceptance speech, adding, "she blows me away...I used to think I was a decent songwriter until I [met] her."

Ultimately their romance didn't last, and the couple announced their plans to divorce in 2015. In a joint statement they said, "This is not the future we envisioned." Shelton went on to wed his Voice co-star Gwen Stefani in 2021, and Lambert married her police officer beau Brendan McLoughlin in 2019. 

Reba McEntire has had her fair share of heartbreak during her career as a country music legend. She recounted her history in her autobiography "Reba: My Story" (via Showbiz Cheatsheet) revealing that she met her future husband Narvel Blackstock when he joined her childhood band as a steel guitar player. At the time, McEntire was a part of her family band "The Singing McEntires" alongside her brother and sister. 

McEntire and Blackstock had both been married before, but after separating from their former partners their professional relationship turned romantic. In 1989 the two tied the knot in Lake Tahoe. "I trust Narvel explicitly that's why I married him," McEntire said following her wedding. The duo went on to have one son together, Shelby, a year later, a half-brother to McEntire's three children with her former husband Charlie Battles. Blackstock was there to weather obstacles alongside the country music star, including losing seven of her former bandmates in a tragic plane crash. McEntire's case of bronchitis at the time had her staying the night in a different city while her bandmates boarded the plane that fateful day. 

After nearly three decades of marriage, the two called it quits in 2015. "It's taken me this time to pull through why and how. And there's been a lot between us and I believe that to forgive is easier than forget. I can never forget some of what he did. But going on with life is what's really important," she told Parade. 

Trace Atkins has had a lengthy list of relationship troubles while juggling his career as a record-breaking country music artist. The "Ladies Love Country Boys" singer has been married four times and is currently with his partner Victoria Pratt. Atkins' longest marriage — and perhaps the most dramatic — was to his ex-wife Rhonda. She's well known in the country music industry, having collaborated with the likes of Willie Nelson and Johnny Cash, and she runs her own management company — Rhonda & Company — that represents up-and-coming country artists. 

Atkins and Rhonda tied the knot in 1997 and went on to have three children together. During their 17 years of marriage, Rhonda worked to help support and manage her husband's critically-acclaimed career. The two made headlines when they announced their divorce in 2014, citing "irreconcilable differences." But the news was further ignited with rumors of cheating and alcohol abuse on Atkins' part. The "You're Gunna Miss You" singer previously dealt with his struggles when he enrolled in rehab in 2014.  Reports claimed the two were enthralled in a $20 million dollar divorce dispute, with Rhonda allegedly upset Atkins was having an affair with his then co-star — and now wife. 

Ultimately the two settled their divorce in 2015. "The Adkins have settled their divorce amicably," the Atkins' lawyer said in a statement at the time. "Rhonda and Trace made this decision together in the best interest of their family."

Country star Kacey Musgraves met her ex-husband Ruston Kelly in 2016 at the historic Bluebird Cafe in Nashville. The former love birds caught each other's eye while Kelly was playing his own "round," taking his turn onstage amidst various other singers and songwriters that night. It seemed like love at first sight, especially for Musgraves who revealed at the time, "Ruston played his first song, and I was just stunned by everything in it—the words, the melody, what he was saying. I was just sitting at this table, crying."

The two went on to tie the knot just a year later, and Kelly was often the inspiration behind many of Musgrave's hit tracks. "It was just like when Dorothy opens a door in the 'Wizard of Oz', and the world turns into color from black and white," the "Butterflies" singer said upon meeting Kelly. In her track "Golden Hour" she writes about her relationship with Kelly with the lyrics, "Baby, don't you know/That you're my golden hour/The color of my sky/You set my world on fire." 

The couple burned out as fast as their relationship ignited. The pair announced their split in July 2020 and finalized the divorce two months later. Musgraves admitted that the Coronavirus pandemic led her to see the cracks in her own marriage. "I felt, in many ways, on top of the world in my career," the star added, "but in my personal life, I felt like I was dying inside. I was crumbling. I was sad. I felt lonely. I felt broken."

Kelsea Ballerini and Morgan Evans first met each other while co-hosting Australia's Country Music Channel Awards in 2016. Evans is a country musician in Australia, and tours worldwide playing his music alongside artists like Brett Young and Ashley Cooke. A little alcohol at the post-show party led to sparks between the two. Ballerini revealed at the time, "I remember taking that shot and putting it down and looking at him like, 'Oh ... he's superhot.' Later that night he leaned over and asked if he could kiss me, like a proper gentleman, and I said yes."

The couple made it official not long after when they walked the red carpet together at the Country Music Association Awards that same year. Evans went on to propose to the "Peter Pan" singer the following year, asking his future bride for her hand over morning pancakes on Christmas morning. The two country stars tied the knot in Cabo, in an intimate seaside ceremony.

Their storybook romance made its way to their music, and the two went on to release the track "Dance With Me" together in 2018. On the home front, however, they were struggling with their own issues. The two went on to divorce in 2022 after a source revealed that they had attempted therapy and broken up once before. "It's hard to find the words here ... but I feel extremely grateful for the years of marriage to Morgan and hopeful for the next seasons," Ballerini said in since-deleted Instagram stories at the time.

George Jones and Tammy Wynette were once known as the "Mr. and Mrs. of Country Music." The two country stars' relationship had its fair share of ups and downs while the musicians went on to be recognized as two of the most famous legends in the industry. The duo met in Nashville while Wynette was still married at the time and they went on to tour together in the 60s.

Wynette left her husband Don Chapel for the country music star after an argument broke out between Chapel and Jones. The incident occurred when Jones accompanied Wynette to the hospital when her son got food poisoning. Jones confronted Wynette's then-husband, saying, "I love Tammy ... and she loves me, too, don't you, Tammy?" The nail in the coffin was Wynette answering yes, and the "Stand by Your Man" song went on to annul her first marriage. The pair wed in 1969, and welcomed a daughter together the following year.

While their music together painted a picture of a happy marriage, their personal problems were ongoing off the stage. The New York Times revealed that Wynette wrote about Jones' struggles with alcoholism, writing in her memoir "Stand by Your Man" that he got into a drunken rage with his wife with a rifle. Wynette went on to file for divorce in 1973, before getting back together briefly and divorcing officially in 1975. Wynette went on to marry music producer George Richey, but continued to remain friends, record music, and tour with Jones until she passed away in 1998.

On the road to being one of country music's biggest stars, LeAnn Rimes had her teenage sweetheart Dean Sheremet by her side. The two were married in 2002 when Rimes was just 19 years old, and Sheremet was even the choreographer behind the music video for her hit track "Nothin' Better to Do." A source revealed that Sheremet was the inspiration behind Rimes's transformation to country music queen, admitting he "saw the potential that was not being tapped," adding, "Her wardrobe, hair and makeup changed almost over night from the time they started being together."

Things shifted between the couple when Rimes' career took off and had her spending more time in Los Angeles. The "How Do I Live" singer met Eddie Cibrian while filming a Lifetime movie in 2008, and sparks flew between her and the "CSI: Miami" actor, although they were both married at the time. The two went on to end their respective marriages not long after they met. Rimes opened up to having an affair, writing, "I broke the sweetest heart of the only man that's ever loved me," in her song "What Have I Done." Rimes and Cibrian went on to wed in 2011, and her ex-husband Sheremet had kind words for his former partner. "LeAnn was a huge part of my life so I wish her the best," he said at the time.

Trisha Yearwood has had her fair share of romances during her successful career as a country music legend. Though she's found love with her husband Garth Brooks, she's been married two times before. Her most tumultuous relationship was with Robert Reynolds, who was a bassist and vocalist for the popular country-rock group The Mavericks. The two met in the early '90s and went on to get married in 1994 at the Ryman Auditorium — once the backdrop for the famous Grand Ole Opry show. 

Reynolds has his own history of battling demons, however, as he was later fired from The Mavericks while battling an opiate addiction. After five years of marriage the "She's In Love With The Boy" singer and the bassist called it quits in 1999. "Since I do hang on to the past with my fingernails, divorce was difficult," Yearwood admitted following her breakup with Reynolds. "Then, after the marriage is over, you question yourself. You wonder if something's wrong with you—which is pretty much where I've been. But I know I'm a good person."

Reynolds went on to marry Angie Crabtree, who was also involved in the country music industry through her work at the Grand Ole Opry. She passed away in 2015 after her battle with cancer, and Reynolds is currently seeing a new girlfriend and living in Indiana. Despite leaving his former band, he's gone on to release his own EP "Good Night, Rock&Roll."

Alan and Denise Jackson's relationship seemed to be fate — especially since Denise's maiden name was Jackson. The high school sweethearts fell in love after meeting as teenagers in Georgia. Alan is considered country music royalty, with record-breaking hits like "Where You Were" and "As She's Walking Away" earning him his respective place in the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame and Songwriters Hall of Fame. 

Alan has his wife to thank for his ticket to fame, due to her persistence in getting his name out when she met a publishing executive while working as a flight attendant. After they married in 1979, the two went on to have three daughters together around the time Jackson's career as a musician began to take off. They weathered their fair share of troubles in the limelight however, and Denise wrote about her husband's infidelity in her book "It's All About Him: Finding The Love Of My Life" (per Country Thang Daily). The pair seperated briefly amidst the affair, but ultimately found their way back together through their faith and working together in couple's therapy.

The duo has gone on to face life's obstacles together, including Alan's diagnosis with Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease, which is a degenerative nerve condition. The disease affects his ability to walk, which has impacted his career on stage. Through it all, he's leaned on Denise. "When I'm down, he lifts me up. When he's down, I try to lift him up," Denise admitted. "The happy side of that is we've had a fairy-tale life."

Tish Cyrus may have been the one to heal Billy Ray's "Achy Breaky Heart," but their nearly three-decades-long marriage ran its course. Tish met her former husband in 1991 when he had nothing to his name, surviving out of his car with a penny and a dream. The two went on to welcome their daughter, music icon Miley Cyrus, a year after they met. But their relationship wasn't without its obstacles, as Billy Ray also had a son with another woman the same year. They made it work, however, going on to tie the knot in 1993 and have two more children together. A decade later things turned sour when Billy Ray filed for divorce. It was rumored that Tish had an affair with Poison singer Bret Michaels, but he has denied this ever happening. 

In 2011, the couple announced they were calling off the divorce filing. "I want to put my family back together Things are the best they've ever been," Billy Ray said on The View at the time (via People.) The reconciliation was short-lived, however, as Tish went on to file for divorce in 2013, before getting back together with the country star just a month later. The duo ultimately called it quits for good in 2022. "It is after 30 years, five amazing children and a lifetime of memories, we have decided to go our separate ways — not with sadness, but with love in our hearts," they wrote in a statement.