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Country Stars in Crisis: Morgan Wallen’s Arrest, Wynonna Judd’s Troubled Daughter and More
From drunken outburst and arrests to fresh family feuds to impending divorce, these Nashville stars are going through it.
Morgan Wallen: Headed to Rehab!
Morgan Wallen is no stranger to controversy. On April 7, the country crooner’s bad behavior got him in trouble with the law — again. The “Wasted on You” singer was arrested for reckless endangerment and disorderly conduct after he threw a chair off a rooftop bar in Nashville. (He’s scheduled to appear in court May 3.) Eyewitnesses have said the 30-year-old was drunk when the incident occurred. And rumors swirled that he was reacting to his ex, KT Smith (with whom he shares son Indigo, 3), marrying her fiancé, Luke Scornavacco, four days prior. “He imploded within days of hearing the news,” a source exclusively tells Life & Style. He was crushed.” KT denied the connection, saying she was “praying that [the arrest] was just a slipup.”
Now Morgan’s team is urging him to get help ASAP. “He could’ve really hurt somebody,” says the source. “Clearly, he has a drinking problem and he needs to go to rehab before he jeopardizes his career.” Morgan has been here before. He was arrested for public intoxication in 2020 and headed to rehab in 2021 after he was caught on camera using the N-word at the end of what he called a “72-hour bender.” (Country radio and his label briefly suspended him.) Last April, a security guard was overheard saying Morgan was so intoxicated he “couldn’t walk” before the singer abruptly canceled a Mississippi concert. While the CMA winner has insisted fatherhood has helped him grow and “put things into perspective,” those close to him are un- convinced. “Saying the N-word didn’t hurt his career too much but he’s run- ning out of chances,” says the source. “Morgan needs to fix this.”
Wynonna’s Daughter Bust
Just six months after being released from jail, Wynonna Judd’s troubled daughter, Grace Kelley, was back behind bars after she allegedly exposed her breasts and lower body on an Alabama highway on April 5. The 27-year-old was arrested and charged with indecent exposure and obstructing governmental operations. It’s not her first run-in with the law: Grace (whose dad is Wynonna’s ex-husband Arch Kelley) was sentenced to eight years in prison in 2018 after she violated her probation following her 2016 arrest for meth possession.
An insider exclusively tells Life & Style it’s the last straw for Wynonna, 59, who didn’t bail Grace out. “She’s been through this so many times and just when she starts thinking everything’s going to be OK, Grace slips up again,” says an insider. “Wynonna will support her daughter, but she’s not going to bail Grace out every time. She needs rehab and therapy, but she has to want to help herself first.” Wynonna has been raising Grace’s 2-year-old daughter, Kaliyah Chanel, and has vowed to break the Judd cycle of addiction with her granddaughter. “Wynonna’s hope is that Grace will beat her demons,” says the insider, “and come back to being a family with them again.”
Garth & Trisha: Headed for a Split?
It was a big night for Trisha Yearwood. On April 7, the country music superstar attended the 2024 CMT Awards to receive the first-ever June Carter Cash Humanitarian Award and debut her new single, “Put It in a Song.” While her sister, Beth Bernard, and industry peers were there to celebrate, her husband of 18 years, Garth Brooks, was nowhere to be seen. “Trisha blew off Garth’s absence by saying he was probably at their new Nashville bar, Friends in Low Places Bar & Honky Tonk, but people could tell she was uncomfortable with all the questions about where he was,” a source tells Life & Style. Now there’s talk of trouble in paradise between Trisha, 59, and the 62-year-old “The Dance” singer. “They’ve been very busy with their various projects,” says the source. Garth is getting ready for his Vegas residency, which kicks off April 18, while Trisha is promoting her new music. Adds the source: “They insist they’re at a comfortable place where they don’t need to be together 24/7, but their friends aren’t so sure that’s good for a relationship.”
“People are worried there’s something wrong in their marriage,” a source said after Trisha hit up the April 7 CMT Awards with her sister, Beth. “The feeling is Garth really should have been there.”
“Trisha was happy to be at the CMT Awards with her sister, even though it did raise eyebrows and made some people wonder if things were rocky between her and Garth,” the source confirmed. “Like anyone in a long-term relationship, sometimes she needs her space. Garth will do anything for her — even if it means staying home while she enjoys her sister time for a day or two. He just worships her and wants her to be happy.”
