Messiest Country Music Splits: Shania Twain and Robert ‘Mutt’ Lange, Kelsea Ballerini and Morgan Evans, More

Credit: Shutterstock (4)

Messiest Country Music Splits: Shania Twain and Robert ‘Mutt’ Lange, Kelsea Ballerini and Morgan Evans, More

Achy breaky heart! Some of country music’s greatest songs are about heartbreak — and the relationships that inspired them can be just as dramatic. Shania Twain learned firsthand that breakups are hard when her husband of 15 years, Robert “Mutt” Lange, had an affair with her former personal assistant, Marie-Anne Thiébaud, in May 2008. The pair called it quits as a result of the infidelity — and the “You’re Still the One” songstress later put her pain into her music. “If I’m really angry, I’ll say ‘f—k’ a lot. And, if I’m writing, that word will be in every line,” Twain told The Guardian in April 2018 of her writing process for 2017’s Now. “There was one song I wrote about my cheating friend and there was a lot of f—ks in there. I hated her, so that’s the best word to use when you hate somebody.” The “Man, I Feel Like a Woman” singer confessed: “I do really nasty things in my dreams to her. I’m always cutting her hair or shaving it off.” While Twain found love with Marie-Anne’s now ex-husband, Frédéric Thiébaud, her heartache from the affair was still apparent in her writing. “Found it in his closet / Right behind the lies / I wish I never saw it / The secret in his eyes / Poor, poor me,” the Canada native sings on Now's “Poor Me." "He never told me how long I'd been living in the dark / No one turned the light on / I fell and broke my heart.” Kelsea Ballerini is another artist who turned her pain into poetry after splitting from her now ex-husband, Morgan Evans, in August 2022. [sendtonews type="float" key="lc9dhrJaYj-2832345-14453"] “And now you’re saying that you’re lost / And that’s lost on me,” Ballerini sings on “Blindsided,” which came out in February 2023 as a response to the Aussie crooner’s own breakup track. “Years of sitting across from me in therapy / I know the truth is hard to hear, but it wasn’t hard to find / Baby, were you blindsided or were you just blind?” In “Penthouse,” the Tennessee native details her divorce from Evans, which was finalized in November 2022. She recalls selling their joint home: “It hurts putting s—t in a box / And now we don't talk / And it stings rolling up the welcome mat / Knowing you got half,” the lyrics read. “I kissed someone new last night / But now I don't know where you're sleeping, baby / We got along real nice, until I wanted out, now I know you hate me.” Ahead of their divorce, Ballerini and Evans dealt with several “issues” in their marriage a source exclusively told Us Weekly in March 2023 — including their difference of opinion on having children. “Their relationship was always an emotional roller-coaster,” the insider told Us at the time, noting that the pair’s “intense romance” had periods of “friction, tension and toxicity.” According to the source, the “Day Drunk” crooner had been “ready for a long time” to become a father, but Ballerini wasn’t on the same page. “They had been having issues, relating to each other and trouble being kind to each other, but the disagreement over kids was the nail in the coffin,” the insider shared. Scroll down to see some of the messiest country music splits of all time:

Credit: Shutterstock (4)

Messiest Country Music Splits: Shania Twain and Robert ‘Mutt’ Lange, Kelsea Ballerini and Morgan Evans, More

Achy breaky heart! Some of country music’s greatest songs are about heartbreak — and the relationships that inspired them can be just as dramatic. Shania Twain learned firsthand that breakups are hard when her husband of 15 years, Robert “Mutt” Lange, had an affair with her former personal assistant, Marie-Anne Thiébaud, in May 2008. The pair called it quits as a result of the infidelity — and the “You’re Still the One” songstress later put her pain into her music. “If I’m really angry, I’ll say ‘f—k’ a lot. And, if I’m writing, that word will be in every line,” Twain told The Guardian in April 2018 of her writing process for 2017’s Now. “There was one song I wrote about my cheating friend and there was a lot of f—ks in there. I hated her, so that’s the best word to use when you hate somebody.” The “Man, I Feel Like a Woman” singer confessed: “I do really nasty things in my dreams to her. I’m always cutting her hair or shaving it off.” While Twain found love with Marie-Anne’s now ex-husband, Frédéric Thiébaud, her heartache from the affair was still apparent in her writing. “Found it in his closet / Right behind the lies / I wish I never saw it / The secret in his eyes / Poor, poor me,” the Canada native sings on Now's “Poor Me." "He never told me how long I'd been living in the dark / No one turned the light on / I fell and broke my heart.” Kelsea Ballerini is another artist who turned her pain into poetry after splitting from her now ex-husband, Morgan Evans, in August 2022. [sendtonews type="float" key="lc9dhrJaYj-2832345-14453"] “And now you’re saying that you’re lost / And that’s lost on me,” Ballerini sings on “Blindsided,” which came out in February 2023 as a response to the Aussie crooner’s own breakup track. “Years of sitting across from me in therapy / I know the truth is hard to hear, but it wasn’t hard to find / Baby, were you blindsided or were you just blind?” In “Penthouse,” the Tennessee native details her divorce from Evans, which was finalized in November 2022. She recalls selling their joint home: “It hurts putting s—t in a box / And now we don't talk / And it stings rolling up the welcome mat / Knowing you got half,” the lyrics read. “I kissed someone new last night / But now I don't know where you're sleeping, baby / We got along real nice, until I wanted out, now I know you hate me.” Ahead of their divorce, Ballerini and Evans dealt with several “issues” in their marriage a source exclusively told Us Weekly in March 2023 — including their difference of opinion on having children. “Their relationship was always an emotional roller-coaster,” the insider told Us at the time, noting that the pair’s “intense romance” had periods of “friction, tension and toxicity.” According to the source, the “Day Drunk” crooner had been “ready for a long time” to become a father, but Ballerini wasn’t on the same page. “They had been having issues, relating to each other and trouble being kind to each other, but the disagreement over kids was the nail in the coffin,” the insider shared. Scroll down to see some of the messiest country music splits of all time:

Credit: Moviestore/Shutterstock

Johnny Cash and Vivian Liberto

The “Man in Black” singer was married to Liberto from 1954 to 1967. Four years into their union, Cash’s fame, touring schedule and growing love of June Carter caused tension between him and Liberto. While the duo shared four daughters, they were unable to make it work. Liberto filed for divorce in summer 1966 and was granted her separation the following year.

Liberto later detailed their demise in her 2008 memoir, I Walked The Line: My Life With Johnny. She claimed that once the family moved to Encino, California, in the summer of 1958, things took a dark turn. Cash began taking pills, his ex-wife claimed, which allegedly only worsened his drinking. That same year, Liberto was introduced to Carter, whom Cash later left his wife for and married in 1968.

"Once June came along, she relentlessly — well, she wanted Dad and she was going to get him," Liberto and Cash’s daughter Cindy wrote in the book. "And she did. She made herself very available, to where he pursued her back." Carter and Cash died in May and September 2003, respectively, while Liberto passed away in May 2005.

Credit: Christopher Berkey/AP/Shutterstock

George Jones and Tammy Wynette

The “If Drinkin’ Don’t Kill Me” crooner and the “Stand By Your Man” songstress were both married twice to other partners before they tied the knot in February 1969. The following year, they welcomed their only child together, daughter Tamala. While the duo were country music legends — especially when performing together — off stage their marriage was tumultuous.

Wynette filed for divorce in 1973 after years of fighting (and her claims that there was too much drinking on Jones’ part). While the twosome briefly reconciled, they officially called it quits in March 1975 when their divorce was finalized. Wynette later claimed in her 1979 autobiography, Stand by Your Man, that Jones once chased her around their house with a loaded rifle amid their rockier years. Jones, for his part, denied the claims in his 1996 memoir, I Lived to Tell It All.

Despite parting ways romantically, the musicians reunited in 1976 to release the duets "Golden Ring" and "Near You." They continued to release music together for years and took the stage in 1995 for a joint tour. Wynette died in April 1998 and Jones passed away in April 2013.

Credit: Newscom/(Mega

Sara Evans and Craig Schelske

Evans turned heads in October 2006 when she withdrew from Dancing With the Stars due to personal reasons. It was later revealed that she stepped away from the show and filed for divorce from Schelske the same day. The pair, who tied the knot in 1993, share three children.

The duo’s divorce quickly turned ugly after Evans alleged in October 2006 court documents that her estranged husband “has frequently verbally abused, emotionally abused and harassed” her. The “Suds in the Bucket” singer also claimed that Schelske “frequently watched pornography” on the family’s computers and that Schelske allegedly had “several photographs showing the defendant having sex with other women” on his computer. He issued a statement at the time, saying, “I adamantly deny the allegations being made.”

In addition to Evans’ claims that her former spouse cheated on her during their marriage, Schelske alleged that the “Born to Fly” songstress was also unfaithful. Evans was eventually awarded primary custody of their children after agreeing to pay her ex $600,000 in alimony.

Credit: Stephen D'Antal/Shutterstock

Shania Twain and Robert 'Mutt' Lange

The Grammy winner met the music producer in June 1993 and they quickly began working on her February 1995 album, The Woman in Me. While collaborating, their relationship turned romantic and Twain wed Lange in December 1993. The twosome later welcomed their only child, son Eja, in August 2001.

In May 2008, however, their marriage imploded after Lange was allegedly caught having an affair with Twain’s friend and former personal assistant Marie-Anne, who was married to exec Frédéric at the time. Lange denied the allegations, but his divorce from the country singer was finalized two years later.

Amid the drama, Twain began dating Frédéric after growing close following their respective splits. The duo wed in January 2011. Lange, for his part, is still in a relationship with Marie-Anne.

Credit: Picture Perfect/Shutterstock

LeAnn Rimes and Dean Sheremet

Rimes wed her backup dancer Sheremet in 2002. Their marriage, however, came crashing down after Us broke the news in March 2009 that the “Can’t Fight the Moonlight” singer was having an affair with Eddie Cibrian while they filmed the Lifetime movie Northern Lights. Sheremet filed for divorce in December of that year. Cibrian, meanwhile, separated from his then-wife Brandi Glanville that same year and later married Rimes in 2011.

Over the years, the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star has had her ups and downs with Rimes. However, Glanville revealed in June 2021 that she and Rimes “get along really well,” especially when coparenting the Bravo star and Cibrian’s two sons, Mason and Jake. “We both love the kids,” Glanville said on the “Hollywood Raw” podcast at the time.

Credit: Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP/Shutterstock

Jason Aldean and Jessica Ussery

The “Dirt Road Anthem” crooner was married to Ussery for more than a decade when photos surfaced in September 2012 of Jason kissing American Idol alum Brittany Aldean (née Kerr). One month later, the Georgia native apologized for cheating on his wife, writing via Facebook, “I screwed up.” Jason and Ussery, who share daughters Keeley and Kendyl, separated in January 2013 after the scandal.

Us broke the news of their split in April 2013, confirming that the "She's Country" singer filed for divorce that month after nearly 12 years of marriage. Us confirmed in March 2014 that the “Burnin’ It Down” singer was officially dating Brittany, whom he wed the following year. The musician has since welcomed son Memphis and daughter Navy with his second wife.

Credit: Mediapunch/Shutterstock

Blake Shelton and Miranda Lambert

The Voice coach and the “Bluebird” songstress announced their split in July 2015 after four years of marriage — and after years of shutting down rumors that there was trouble in paradise. Hours after confirming their breakup, news broke that the pair’s divorce was already finalized.

A few months later, Shelton moved on with Gwen Stefani in November 2015 and the pair later tied the knot in July 2021. Lambert, for her part, found love with Brendan McLouglin, whom she wed in January 2019 after less than three months of dating. The “Hell on Heels” songstress’ whirlwind romance with McLoughlin came after she made headlines for allegedly hooking up with Evan Felker while dating Anderson East, whom she split from in summer 2018.

“When I was going through my divorce and just, you know, hit rock bottom just like anybody does when they go through something that devastating,” Shelton said of his and Lambert's split during a June 2018 appearance on Sunday Today With Willie Geist. “It’s a miracle that I met somebody that was going through the same exact thing that I was at the same exact moment in time. (Stefani divorced ex-husband Gavin Rossdale — with whom she shares three sons — in August 2015.)

Lambert, meanwhile, told CBS News in May 2022 that she chose not to “lie” in her post-breakup tracks, which ultimately helped her heal. “I’ve learned a lot about myself and I think at some point you start to settle into who you are,” she shared. “I think that’s why you feel that peace coming from me because I feel at peace with myself.”

Credit: Jim Ruymen/UPI/Shutterstock

Jana Kramer and Mike Caussin

The “I Got the Boy” songstress separated from Caussin in 2016 after Us broke the news that the former NFL player was unfaithful. Caussin subsequently sought treatment for sex addition and the pair renewed their vows in 2017. The twosome, however, called it quits for good in April 2021 after nearly six years of marriage amid repeated infidelity on Caussin's part.

“Jana’s final straw came when she uncovered once again that [Mike] had cheated on her,” a source told Us in April 2021, noting that “everything was fine” between the pair until she “uncovered a recent infidelity.” The exes finalized their divorce in July 2021 and agreed to coparent their children, Jolie and Jace.

Credit: Courtesy of Staci Felker/Instagram

Evan and Staci Felker

Us broke the news in April 2018 that Evan was dating Lambert after connecting during her Livin’ Like Hippies Tour, which ran from January to June of that year. The relationship raised eyebrows as the Turnpike Troubadours member was married to Staci and Lambert was still dating then-boyfriend Anderson East.

In the wake of the alleged cheating scandal, Evan and Staci called it quits and finalized their divorce in August 2018. That same month, Lambert declared she was “happily single” in an interview with The Tennessean. The “If I Was a Cowboy” singer later married McLoughlin in January 2019 after a whirlwind romance.

The Felkers, meanwhile, confirmed their reconciliation in March 2021 while announcing they had welcomed their first child, daughter Evangelina. Evan and Staci later revealed they got remarried in June 2020. The couple welcomed their second child, son Everett, in September 2022.

Credit: Jim Smeal/BEI/Shutterstock

Natalie Maines and Adrian Pasdar

The Chicks singer filed for divorce from the Heroes alum in 2017 after 17 years of marriage. The pair, who share sons Jackson and Beckett, finalized their divorce in 2019 after a two-year legal battle. Amid the ups and downs, Pasdar requested Maines pay him $60,000 a month despite having a prenup. The former Judging Amy star claimed at the time that his ex was the primary “breadwinner” and that he put his career on hold to care for their boys, according to court docs obtained by Us.

While the details of the divorce agreement have remained private, Maines seemingly dished on the messy proceedings in the group’s 2020 album, Gaslighter. In the title track, she sings, “Give you all my money / You’ll gladly walk away.” The musician also hints at infidelity on her ex's part with the line, “‘Cause, boy, you know exactly what you did on my boat / And, boy, that’s exactly why you ain’t comin’ home.”

On the song “Everybody Loves You,” Maines seems to struggle with Pasdar’s public persona. "Why does everybody love you? / They don’t know the things that I do,” she asks. “It’s my body, and I’m trying to / Forgive you, I don’t want to / It’s my body, and it hates you.”

Credit: Matt Baron/Shutterstock

Kelly Clarkson and Brandon Blackstock

Us confirmed in June 2020 that The Voice coach filed for divorce from the talent manager after nearly seven years of marriage. The estranged couple were then embroiled in a two-year legal battle that came to an end in March 2022.

Before finalizing their divorce, Blackstock claimed that he was leaving the entertainment industry behind to become a full-time rancher. In order to succeed, he alleged that he needed to keep the pair’s Montana property, which Clarkson wanted to sell. A judge ruled in August 2021, that Blackstock could stay on the ranch but he had to pay for all costs involved in maintaining the land.

Five months later, the “Since You’ve Been Gone” songstress agreed to give her ex-husband a 5.12 percent share of the Montana property, equaling $908,800 of its total $17,750,000 value. Blackstock was allowed to remain on the land until June 2022 and pay rent to Clarkson until he found somewhere else to live.

According to court documents obtained by Us, Clarkson was ordered in March 2022 to pay Blackstock $45,601 a month in child support until their kids, River and Remington, reach 18. The talk show host also agreed to pay her ex-husband spousal support of $115,000 monthly until January 2024. She also gave him a one-time payment of $1,326,161.

Credit: Chris Pizzello/AP/Shutterstock

Sara Evans and Jay Barker

Evans married Barker in 2008, one year after finalizing her divorce from Schelske. After 14 years of marriage, the pair filed for split in April 2021, and Evans revealed in court documents obtained by Us that Barker had been living in Alabama for “approximately three months” after their breakup. The twosome officially filed for divorce in August of that year.

In January 2022, the divorce got messy after the former football star was arrested for allegedly trying to run over the “A Little Bit Stronger” singer with a vehicle. Barker was later released on a $10,000 bond. Us confirmed in June 2022 that Barker conceded to a best interest plea after being arrested for an alleged domestic violence incident stemming from the vehicle arrest. He was sentenced to one-year probation, in which he has to forfeit all weapons and complete a 26-week batterers intervention program.

Credit: MediaPunch/Shutterstock

Kacey Musgraves and Ruston Kelly

The pair announced their separation in July 2020 after nearly three years of marriage. Later that month, Musgraves shared an Instagram photo of herself crying with glitter tears falling from her eyes. “If only tears were actually glittery,” she captioned the snap, which Kelly commented on with a muscle emoji and an orange heart.

Two months later, the estranged couple exchanged a series of cryptic texts causing some fans to think they might get back together. “It is what it is,” the “High Horse” songstress tweeted in August 2020, to which Kelly responded, “It doesn’t have to be.” That same month, the pair finalized their divorce.

However, it wasn’t until February 2021 that the “Golden Hour” singer publicly addressed the breakup. “It’s two people who love each other so much, but for so many reasons, it just didn’t work. I mean, seasons change,” Musgraves told Rolling Stone at the time. “Our season changed. … Part of me questions marriage as a whole, in general.”

Musgraves gave fans even more insight into the downfall of her marriage when she released Star-Crossed in September 2021. “Let me set the scene / Two lovers ripped right at the seams / They woke up from the perfect dream / And then the darkness came,” she sings in the title track.

Credit: Jim Smeal/Shutterstock

Joe Rooney and Tiffany Fallon

The Rascal Flatts guitarist wed Fallon in 2006. They went on to welcome son Jagger and daughters Raquel and Devon. News broke in January 2021, that the musician filed for divorce from his wife. In the months that followed, both partied accused each other of adultery and Fallon alleged that Rooney’s "habitual drunkenness and abuse of narcotic drugs" was the reason they split.

While Rooney pleaded guilty to drinking and driving after crashing into a tree line in September 2021 he denied Fallon’s accusation of his "habitual drunkenness and abuse of narcotic drugs."

Credit: Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP/Shutterstock

Billy Ray and Tish Cyrus

The “Achy Breaky Heart” crooner married Tish in December 1993. At the time, he adopted her children, Brandi and Trace, from a past relationship. The pair later welcomed daughters Miley and Noah and son Braison. Billy Ray also shares son Christopher Cody with Kristen Luckey, whom he dated before Tish. (Christopher and Miley are the same age.)

Billy Ray first filed for divorce from the Cyrus vs. Cyrus alum in October 2010. He dropped the filing in March 2011, revealing on The View, “I want to put my family back together … Things are the best they’ve ever been.”

However, two years later, Tish filed her own documents citing “irreconcilable differences” in the June 2013 paperwork. Us confirmed the following month that the twosome had reconciled. Despite working through many of their issues in therapy, Us confirmed in April 2022 that Tish filed for divorce for the third time. In her filing, the actress claimed that she and the country singer have lived in separate residences and have not “cohabited as man and wife for a continuous period of more than two years.”

Both Billy Ray and Tish have since moved on romantically. The “Old Town Road” crooner got engaged to Firerose in fall 2022 while the Tennessee native confirmed her relationship with Dominic Purcell in November of that year.

Credit: Invision/AP/Shutterstock

Kelsea Ballerini and Morgan Evans

The country singers announced their split in August 2022 after nearly five years of marriage. They finalized the divorce three months later — and later wrote about the drama surrounding their goodbye in respective breakup songs.

“How long have you been waiting to take our pictures down / How long have you been breaking, why am I just finding out?” Evans asks in “Over For You,” which dropped in fall 2022. “How many times did you tell me you loved me if it wasn’t true / I’m just wondering, how long has it been over for you?”

Ballerini, for her part, released a six-track EP titled Rolling Up the Welcome Mat in February 2023, detailing the progression of their relationship fallout. “I’m wearin’ the ring still, but I think I’m lyin’ / Sometimes you forget yours, I think we’re done tryin’,” she sings in “Mountain With a View,” which came out on Valentine’s Day. “I realize you loved me much more at twenty-three / I think that this is when it’s over for me.”

Later that month, the “Hole in the Bottle” songstress addressed how the couple changed during their marriage before ultimately parting ways.

“Who you marry is not who you divorce. As he’s putting out a song about being blindsided, he’s taking half the house that he didn’t pay for,” Ballerini said during a February 2023 appearance on the “Call Her Daddy” podcast, noting that the split wasn’t totally one-sided. “I was not perfect, he was not perfect, it was not perfect. And in the unraveling, that thing I ended up sharing with him, just saying like, ‘I need to own the last few years of like, I think, I checked out a long time ago and I need to let you know that.’”