Jana Kramer’s Bombshell Quotes From ‘The Next Chapter’ Book: Abuse, Divorce and Suicidal Thoughts

Jana and Mike’s Final Fight

Though Jana and Mike cowrote and published a book about saving their marriage in 2020, the couple’s relationship had issues for months leading up to their split. In her memoir, Jana described their final argument before they called it quits. She wrote that Mike did not put his wet clothes in the dryer, despite her asking him to do so. When she got angry at him, he threw the wet clothes at her and knocked her over. Jana claimed that Mike then mocked her by telling her it “didn’t hurt” and demanding that she “get the f–k up.”

After that argument, Jana felt the urge to check Mike’s iPad and saw emails to another woman. When she confronted him about it, he initially denied having contact with the woman but later apologized for it. He also admitted that he “physically cheated” on her more than a year prior, which led Jana to file for divorce after seven years of marriage.

Mike Told Jana He Never Loved Her

Jana claimed that after she and Mike sat down to discuss the terms of their divorce, he told her that he “never really loved” her.

“He wanted to hurt me, and news flash, it did. I had taken massive steps away from him and toward a new future in the last few weeks, but hearing those words confirmed that little voice in my head that had been telling me that everything he did and said in our marriage was because he didn’t love me. That I had made it all up, that our marriage was just a great lie. I felt deep sadness for what we both had lost,” she wrote, per an excerpt published by People.

The One That Got Away

In The Next Chapter, Jana also discussed her past relationships, including her engagement to fellow country singer Brantley Gilbert from January to August 2013. Jana admitted that Brantley was the one that got away, calling him “a good guy” she knew she “let go.” She ultimately took the blame for their split.

“Brantley wanted to give me the world and he went down trying, but nothing he could have given me would have fixed the huge hole in my self-worth,” she wrote. “I messed up our relationship. I caused chaos to see just how far I could push someone. I don’t blame him for walking away, but I hated myself knowing I was the cause of it.”

Abuse From Michael Gambino

Jana was previously married to Michael Gambino in 2004. Though she has opened up in recent years about the abuse she experienced during their relationship — including the August 2005 strangling incident that nearly killed her and landed Gambino in prison for six years on attempted murder charges — Jana further detailed the marriage in the book.

“I had my head bashed into bathroom mirrors countless times and was choked and shoved on a weekly basis. Almost every morning around three o’clock, he would throw me out of bed after coming home from a rager at a club,” Jana wrote of Gambino. “Toward the end of our, let’s just call it, courtship, I was his rag doll. I was so depressed and scared, and all I wanted was an out, but I was trapped.”

Gambino died by suicide in 2012.

If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, please call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 for confidential support.

Jana Contemplated Suicide

Following her divorce from Mike, Jana dated former Navy Seal Ian Schinelli, whom she referred to as “Seth” in The Next Chapter. However, they broke up in April 2022. Jana wrote that she began “spiraling” after their split, especially after seeing a tell-all interview with her ex published. She described her struggle with suicidal thoughts and what ultimately pulled her out of that mindset.

“Bawling, I sat down on my bed, then grabbed my gun case out of my night-table drawer,” Jana wrote. “I opened it and stared down at that gun in my hands and cried the loudest I ever have. I wanted the noise to stop. I wanted my brain to stop. I wanted the messages to stop. I just wanted it all to stop.”

Jana then described putting down the gun and calling her friend, the owner of Onsite Workshops, and admitting she needed help. “I don’t think I’ve ever driven as fast to a place as I did there,” she concluded.

If you or someone you know is in emotional distress or considering suicide, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).