Friends or foes? Aside from their music, country superstars Blake Shelton and Miranda Lambert made headlines for their longtime love! The musicians first got together in 2006 and tied the knot in 2011. After a nearly five-year marriage, the former flames shocked fans in 2015 by announcing their split. They’ve both since moved on — Miranda married Brendan McLoughlin in January 2019 and Blake wed Gwen Stefani in July 2021. But what went wrong between the country duo? Keep scrolling below to find out everything we know about Miranda and Blake’s split.
Blake Shelton And Miranda Lambert Had Their Share of Problems
While Blake and Miranda took the country music world by storm with their seemingly fairytale romance, they certainly had their fair share of issues. A 2014 interview they conducted with Marie Claire reads very differently in the aftermath of their split, as Blake categorized his then-wife as “complicated” amid an otherwise tense exchange.
“Blake says I’m complicated, but, I mean, all girls are,” the songstress said. When her husband was further queried about the label, he seemingly skirted around the moniker.
“She was like, ‘What the hell is that supposed to mean?’ But it is the best way I know to describe her. Holy s—, man. That’s what I admire about her. Her complications,’” Blake said, before adding that he thought Miranda needed to improve on delegating professionally. “At some point, she’s going to need to divvy out some responsibility,” he said.
Did Blake Shelton And Miranda Lambert Cheat On Each Other?
It’s not exactly clear what led to the pair’s breakup, but it’s been reported that Blake and Miranda’s long-distance love and infidelity rumors — which they both denied — put a strain on their relationship.
“This is not the future we envisioned. And it is with heavy hearts that we move forward separately,” the couple said in their July 2015 divorce announcement. “We are real people, with real lives, with real families, friends and colleagues. Therefore, we kindly ask for privacy and compassion concerning this very personal matter.”
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Miranda Lambert and Blake Shelton Addressed Their Split In Separate Records
Since calling it quits, both Blake and Miranda have spoken about the fallout following their divorce. The “God’s Country” crooner, for his part, opened up about heartbreak during an interview with Billboard one year after the duo announced their breakup, noting that his 10th studio album If I’m Honest is his “divorce record.”
“When we recorded the vocals for some of these songs, I was only six months removed from when all the crap went down,” he said in July 2016. “When you have a broken heart — at least, when I do — you got to get it out of your system. You want people to sympathize with you. I was at rock bottom, in the middle of hell.
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Similarly, the “Little Red Wagon” songstress got real about her public divorce while chatting with Health in November 2019. “When everyone’s worried about your personal life, it makes you feel like, ‘Well, if you could just spend some of that time talking about my actual art, that would be great!’” Miranda explained. “But I guess I asked for it, getting into this business. I’m never gonna get used to the public eye in that way.”
The “House That Built Me” artist admitted in May 2022 that she “wasn’t prepared” for all the attention her divorce received, but she handled things by turning to her craft.
“I think you got to take it with a grain of salt and know that I’m a singer-songwriter so luckily I can tell my whole truth,” she told CBS News. “I will not lie in my music.”
Miranda Lambert Kept Quiet When Blake Shelton and Gwen Stefani Got Engaged
Now that they’ve both moved on, where does Miranda and Blake’s relationship stand now? The songstress kept quiet after news broke that her ex had proposed to his The Voice costar in October 2020, but she did reflect on a “special moment” during her relationship with Blake in a March 2021 interview. At the time, the blonde beauty recalled cowriting his 2011 song “Over You,” which was inspired by Blake losing his older brother, Richie, in a car accident in 1990.
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“My ex-husband, Blake, had lost a brother, and it’s one of those moments where even if you’re married to someone, sometimes you find something new about them,” the Texas native said during an appearance on Apple Music’s Essentials Radio. “It was really a special moment, and I’m so glad we shared that song and that it helped his family heal, to have that together.”
Miranda Lambert and Blake Shelton Have Both Moved On
Although there doesn’t seem to be any lasting bad blood between the exes, a source told In Touch in September 2020 that Miranda and her husband Brendan are a “much better match” than her and Blake.
“Miranda doesn’t have many regrets,” the insider added. “But now, she’s with the love of her life, looks back and thinks to herself, ‘What was I doing with Blake?’”
As for her ex, Blake famously moved on with Gwen, and the No Doubt star opened up about her marriage to the country crooner during an appearance on The Drew Barrymore Show.
“God put us together. It was one of those situations where I didn’t see it coming,” Gwen shared. “I was like, ‘I’m gonna wake up every day. I’m gonna have a coffee. I’m gonna take care of my kids, and then I’m gonna go to bed.’ Like I’m never gonna kiss anyone. I thought my life was over, and then Blake Shelton was like, ‘Hey. I’m Blake Shelton.’”