Four months? Three months? Forty-four days? Four days — the shortest country music marriage didn’t even last long enough to bring home a paycheck.
Find out which country-friendly classic rocker was married just nine days before his wife asked for a divorce.
Taste of Country also did some digging to find a contemporary country singer who split after just 12 days in 2010 and another that last just four days in 1977. At 282 days, Carly Pearce and Michael Ray practically lived a lifetime when put next to Tammy Wynette and her fourth husband.
George Jones, Kenny Chesney, Gary Allan and Kid Rock all make this list of shortest marriages in country music history. So often the abrupt end to a union comes after a whirlwind romance that left no time for getting to know one another. It’s most sad when children are involved, as is the case in a handful of these marriages.
We capped our list at two years, meaning stars who made it at least that long won’t be found here. This excused several country singers like Wynonna Judd, Willie Nelson and Lorrie Morgan, who’ve had several spouses, with each lasting several years. First up is the quickie wedding of the ’90s — one that left Nashville and Hollywood in shock when they split.
See Country Music’s 13 Shortest Marriages
See country music’s shortest marriages, including one that only last four days!
Gallery Credit: Billy Dukes
Lyle Lovett and Julia Roberts: 639 Days
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Lyle Lovett and Julia Roberts: 639 Days
Country singer Lyle Lovett and actor Julia Roberts announced their separation with a simple statement reading (per People): “We remain close and in great support of each other.” This ended a year-and-a-half-long, closely-watched marriage between the beauty and country music’s rugged Texan.
It was a whirlwind romance if there ever was one. The pair wed just three days after meeting and dove right into busy careers that often left them on opposite ends of the country. After a year, people started to wonder about who each was seen socializing with, and tongues began to wag. But the optimists always believed in love until they made it official.
George Jones and Dorothy Bonvillion: Less Than 1 Year
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George Jones and Dorothy Bonvillion: Less Than 1 Year
A teenaged George Jones married his first wife Dorothy in a rush in 1950, and she became pregnant just a few months later. In fact, she was six months pregnant when she filed for divorce, citing (per Texas Monthly) his violent temper and drinking problems. These were the beginning of his wild years, before Jones became a country music legend. The couple did have one child together however, the little-seen Susan, born in 1951.
Carly Pearce and Michael Ray: 282 Days
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Carly Pearce and Michael Ray: 282 Days
Carly Pearce and Michael Ray dated for 18 months before their October 2019 wedding, and prior to the coronavirus pandemic of 2020, all seemed well, with the “Every Little Thing” singer gushing on her man during a visit with Taste of Country in February. Slowly, they started to disappear from one another’s social media pages however, leading to speculation that Pearce felt she had to address during a No. 1 party roundtable for “I Hope You’re Happy Now.” She filed for divorce on June 19, 2020, per People.
Miley Cyrus and Liam Hemsworth: 239 Days
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Miley Cyrus and Liam Hemsworth: 239 Days
Miley Cyrus’ on again, off again romance with Liam Hemsworth officially turned off on Aug. 10, 2019, when he filed for divorce less than eight months after marrying the pop and country singer. Irreconcilable differences was the official reason, but they told People that, “Ever-evolving, changing as partners and individuals, they have decided this is what’s best while they both focus on themselves and careers.”
Gary Allan and Danette Day: 190 Days (Approximate)
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Gary Allan and Danette Day: 190 Days (Approximate)
Few recall that Gary Allan dated model Danette Day and even married the pin-up model in late 1998. She was his second wife, and it was short-lived. For reasons never made public, the couple split the following June, although the exact day is not known.
Kenny Chesney and Renee Zellwegger: 128 Days
People
Kenny Chesney and Renee Zellwegger: 128 Days
This one is country music’s most famous short marriages. Kenny Chesney and actor Renee Zellweger met and married in a fever in 2005 and announced a separation just 128 days after their May 9 beachside wedding. She sought an annulment, and later both would admit they were not prepared for marriage. In December that year, the union would be officially dissolved. Believe it or not, we found four marriages that were over quicker than this 4-month-long marriage.
Kid Rock and Pamela Anderson: 122 Days
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Kid Rock and Pamela Anderson: 122 Days
Kid Rock and supermodel and actor Pamela Anderson were the “it” couple for much of the early ‘00s, even though she was fresh off an impulsive marriage to rocker Tommy Lee. They finally married in July 2006, but in November of that year, both filed papers. Actor Sasha Baron Cohen claims it was her role in his movie Borat that put him over the edge, leading to the divorce.
Bobbie Gentry and Bill Harrah: 120 Days
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Bobbie Gentry and Bill Harrah: 120 Days
The enigmatic Bobbie Gentry married casino magnate Bill Harrah in mid-December 1969, and it was over by mid-April the next year. Very little is known about the couple or the reason for the split (which is on brand for Gentry), but she did marry twice more, with both of those unions only lasting a couple of years.
Zac Brown and Kelly Yazdi: Less Than 120 Days
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Zac Brown and Kelly Yazdi: Less Than 120 Days
Zac Brown kept his relationship with Kelly Yazdi very quiet, with news only coming from gossip or celebrity news websites. They were engaged in 2022 and quietly married in Coweta County, Ga. on Aug. 31, 2023. By the end of the year, they’d separated with Zac’s team telling TMZ they were in the process of divorcing.
The Zac Brown Band frontman was previously married to Shelly from 2006 to 2018. They have five kids together.
Tammy Wynette and Michael Tomlin: 44 Days
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Tammy Wynette and Michael Tomlin: 44 Days
Tammy Wynette’s fourth husband was real estate developer Michael Tomlin, whom she wed on July 18, 1976 after just a few months of dating. By September she’d have the marriage annulled. The Washington Post shared a story reported by Cosmopolitan that he ran along her Florida beachfront firing a gun into the air, but Tomlin denied it.
Her fifth and final husband actually played organ during that ceremony, the paper shares. In fact, George Richey’s then-wife was matron of honor. Technically Wynette’s second marriage to Lloyd Amburgey could make this list, as it lasted less than two years, as well.
Jana Kramer and Johnathon Schaech: 12 Days
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Jana Kramer and Johnathon Schaech: 12 Days
Jana Kramer and actor Johnathon Schaech dated for some time before marrying on July 4, 2010, and while the announcement of their split came 35 days later, US Weekly would later learn that she actually left him after just 12 days. The divorce would be finalized in June 2011. Schaech was actually Kramer’s second husband. Her first was put in prison for abuse and attempted murder, a story she first shared while on Dancing With the Stars in 2016.
Cher and Greg Allman: 9 Days
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Cher and Greg Allman: 9 Days
While not a dedicated country star, Greg Allman certainly appeals to country fans, and his marriage to Cher was so wild, we included it. The pair wed just days after her divorce to Sonny Bono was finalized, but nine days later, she filed for divorce. The problem was his drinking and heroin use, but he’d win her back.
And then she’d win him back, he’d win her back again … yeah, they were a rollercoaster for about three years until finally separating for good in 1978. Entertainment Weekly commemorated in a neat and tidy way in 1992. They had one son together, Elijah Blue.
Buck Owens and Jana Jae Greif — About 4 Days
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Buck Owens and Jana Jae Greif — About 4 Days
The exact number of days that passed between Buck Owens’ impulsive, Las Vegas wedding to his fiddle player is not clear but all publications from the time list it as lasting “a few days.” Between three and five seems like a good guess. People magazine had the most exploratory look at the couple’s romance and the strange, uncomfortable circumstances of their union. Owens makes Porter Wagoner seem downright chivalrous.
In the spring of 1977, Owens was living with the woman who’d eventually become his fourth wife. Jana Rae Greif (who went as just Jana Jae professionally) quit but days later he asked her to marry him. Even though she was aware of his controlling ways she agreed, but the morning after their wedding he told her, (per People) “I own you lock, stock and barrel.”
Surprisingly it was Owens who tried to annul the marriage after just a few days, something made public on the radio before Rae had a chance to hear it for herself. He cited “unsound mind” but didn’t specify who he was talking about. There was some back and forth and eventually she cross-filed for annulment. Per Roland Note he filed for divorce in August of 1977, three months after they married. Later he’d say he wasn’t drunk on anything but her when he went to the alter.
Read More: 12 Shortest Marriages in Country Music History | https://tasteofcountry.com/shortest-celebrity-marriages-country-music/?utm_source=tsmclip&utm_medium=referral
