Country Star Reveals Fame Nearly Destroyed His Marriage

Behind the chart-topping hits and sold-out arenas, Thomas Rhett is opening up about a deeply personal chapter he says almost cost him everything.

The “Die a Happy Man” singer is getting brutally honest about the darker side of fame—admitting there was a time he felt like he was living two completely different lives… and it nearly tore his marriage apart.

Speaking alongside his wife Lauren Akins on the WHOA That’s Good podcast, Rhett revealed how the rapid rise of his career fed something dangerous: the need for constant validation.

“I think I got the most affirmation I’d ever received in my life—and I really liked it,” he admitted.

But that high came at a cost.

At the peak of his fame, Rhett says he wasn’t showing up as the husband he should’ve been. Instead, he was chasing success “at all costs,” while quietly drifting further away from the life that mattered most.

Looking back now, he doesn’t sugarcoat it.

“I don’t think I stewarded it very well,” he said, reflecting on those early years of marriage.

The couple—who’ve known each other since first grade and married in 2012—were building a life together, but behind the scenes, things were far from perfect. Rhett confessed that in his mid-20s, he felt completely unbalanced, juggling nonstop travel, rising fame, and a growing family.

At one point, he was flying between concerts in the U.S. and time spent in Uganda while his wife was pregnant and they were in the process of adopting a child.

“I could never actually settle anywhere,” he said.

That chaos led to what he now calls his lowest point.

“I was the most spiritually unhealthy human being,” Rhett admitted. “Publicly, I had a façade… but internally I was dying.”

Despite their strong foundation—including a shared belief early on that divorce was never an option—he realized something unsettling: even the strongest marriages can crack under pressure if you let them.

“The more you think about it, anything is actually an option if you let it become that,” he said.

For Rhett, the turning point didn’t come overnight. It took years—and a forced pause during 2020—for him to finally step back and figure out who he really was without the spotlight, the stage, or the applause.

“That was the first time affirmation was taken away from me,” he explained. “And I had to discover who I actually was at my core.”

Now, five years later, Rhett says he’s in a completely different place—personally, spiritually, and in his marriage.

“I’m living my most true self now,” he said.

Lauren, who has largely stayed out of the spotlight despite her husband’s fame, offered her own perspective. While she admits she’s never been comfortable in the public eye, she says their differences have ultimately strengthened their relationship.

“We couldn’t be more opposite,” she said. “But I know when I’m out of my comfort zone, he’s going to hold my hand and get me through it.”

Through the highs, the struggles, and the near-breaking point, the couple says they’ve come out stronger—and more grounded—than ever.

And for Rhett, the lesson is simple but hard-earned: fame might give you everything on the outside, but if you lose yourself in the process, it can take everything that truly matters.