Costly Divorces Country Music Stars

When you think of country music, what crosses your mind is probably a Nashville story of a gentle, well-built cowboy who meets a homegrown cowgirl and with his irresistible charm, sweeps her off her boots and she eventually says, “Yes, I do”, and thereafter it’s happy ever after. However, it’s not always ‘forever and ever amen’ as Randy Travis would want us to believe. Sometimes even when you cross your heart like George strait, things can still end up with a whiskey lullaby. Let’s know about Costly Divorces Country Music Stars.

Costly Divorces Country Music Stars

With celebrity divorce rates at 67% higher than non-celebrity divorces, our country music stars have not been spared from this American crisis. While others have ended peacefully with little or no drama, others have ended up messy and costly. Today we’ll take a look at some of these country music stars whose dream of being happy ever after came to a sudden and costly end.

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Blake Shelton and Miranda Lambert

Blake Shelton, a renowned country singer, multiple music award winner, and one of the Voice’s judges met the love of his life and fellow singer, Miranda Lambert in 2005 before getting married in 2011 after dating for six years. However, the marriage was not to last long; after only four years, they had to go separate ways on July 20, 2015. The reasons cited were allegations of infidelity from both parties and disagreement over the right time to have kids. The God’s country singer, who is worth $100 million, is reported to have parted with his Nashville Estate to his ex-wife Miranda in part of an agreement to divide their shared wealth. However, he retained his Oklahoma ranch. Because life has to continue, after hearts had healed and dust had settled, they both moved on. In January 2019, Miranda married Brendan Mcloughlin while Blake married fellow country musician Gwen Stephanie in July 2021.

Garth Brooks and Sandy Mahl  

Garth Brooks released his song “The Dance” in 1990, but little did he know that a few years later, the words of the song could be rightly applied to him. After 15 years of marriage to his wife Sandy Mahl, Brooks could only look back at the memory they shared with his wife; now she had to say goodbye. After meeting in a bar while still at the University of Oklahoma, it was love at first sight. The two love birds later got married in 1986 and had three children. After a vibrant music career with support from his dear wife, he slowed down in 1999 to spend more time with his kids, only for his marriage to end in 2001. They officially divorced in 2001 due to irreconcilable differences. Years later, Sandy Mahl was quoted saying that the years they had spent apart while Brooks was busy with his music career contributed to them falling apart and in their inevitable divorce. Theirs was probably one of the most expensive country singers’ divorces. Brooks had to pay Sandy $125 million in a court settlement. However, they settled on shared custody for their three children. 

Kacey Musgraves and Ruston Kelly

Greatly adored and looked up to by the fans, Kacey Musgraves and Ruston Kelly’s divorce was a shock to many. Musgraves, the writer of the Grammy-winning album, Golden hour, met the love of her life in the Bluebird Café. Out of the Blues, the two love birds developed a chemistry that led them down the aisle just a few months later. In October 2017, they were married in a grand and glamorous wedding in Tennessee. However, the bliss was short-lived, and two years later, in July 2020, they were divorced. When asked about the reason for their divorce, their answer was simple, “It simply didn’t work”. Musgraves, later on, in an interview with Elle, cited emptiness, sadness, loneliness, and brokenness as reasons for their divorce. After their divorce, they agreed to sell their house with 84% proceeds going to Musgraves and the remainder to Kelly.

Kelly Clarkson and Brandon Blackstock

Kelly Clarkson and Brandon Blackstock walked down the aisle in October 2013 after dating for two years. After seven years of marriage with two kids, citing irreconcilable differences, Kelly filed for a divorce. Although granted primary custody of their two children, Kelly was ordered to pay Brandon $1.3 million as a one-time payment, monthly child support of $45,601, and $115,000 monthly spousal support by January 2024.

Reba McEntire and Narvel Blackstock

Less than a year after divorcing her first husband, Charlie Battles, Reba McEntire met Navel Blackstock, and they proceeded to get married in 1988. Their union was blessed with two kids, and her career also blossomed as she partnered with her husband, who was her producer. Though long-lived, their marriage eventually came to a halt 26 years later when Narvel, the Starstruck Entertainment founder, filed a divorce from his dear wife in 2015. Though Reba did not want the divorce, she accepted and was paid $47.3 million in a court settlement.

Conclusion   

For country singers, it’s not always happy ever after Nashville stories, sometimes they end in not only heartbreaks but also bank-breaking court settlements. As beautiful as country music is, the singers, just like the rest of us, are only human, and their marriage is not all roses. Sometimes the thorns become unbearable.  

Costly Divorces Country Music Stars

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