Maren Morris Plans To Put “Myself First” Amid Divorce From Ryan Hurd, Says She’s “Not Answering To Anyone”

“I think that’s going to be a really empowering 2024,” Morris said.

By

Melanie Rooten

Originally from Southern California and currently residing in Music City, Melanie graduated from the University of Oklahoma with a BA in Journalism before beginning her career as a music and entertainment journalist. Beginning to write for Music Mayhem in August of 2023, she has also contributed to Holler, Country Now, Country Chord, Celeb Secrets, Celeb Secrets Country, We Got This Covered and Decider throughout her career thus far. When she is not writing, Melanie enjoys going to concerts and music festivals, binging her favorite television shows, spending time with her friends and family and cheering on the Oklahoma Sooners (of course).

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Posted on December 4, 2023

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Maren Morris and Ryan Hurd; Francis Specker/CBS ©2023 CBS Broadcasting, Inc.

On October 2, Maren Morris filed for divorce from her husband of five years, Ryan Hurd. Taking two months to process the split, the chart-topping superstar is currently single, however, she recently revealed that she is still not ready to mingle. Revealing to Denny Directo from Entertainment Tonight at the Variety Hitmakers Brunch in Hollywood what the future has in store, Morris admitted that she is “not answering to anyone and not having to protect anyone’s feelings but [her] own” during this pivotal time in her life, working on herself (as well as some brand-new tunes) instead.

Maren Morris and Ryan Hurd’s Relationship Timeline

Morris and Hurd met in 2013 when they teamed up to write Tim McGraw’s “Last Turn Home” together, beginning their relationship with one another in 2015.

“He’s always been a creative collaborator in my life, that’s how we met… We were paired together six years ago to write a song. We didn’t know each other and it just kind of grew from there, so music has always been really intertwined in our love for each other, and now that we aren’t just songwriters, we’re artists, the timing of being married and also touring is very chaotic at times,” Morris shared with Us Weekly in March of 2019.

Despite their jam-packed schedules, Morris and Hurd managed to make things work, popping the question in 2017, and then tying the knot in 2018. Two years after getting married to one another, the pair welcomed their first child, Hayes Andrew Hurd, who was born in March of 2020. 

Maren Morris and Ryan Hurd; Photo Courtesy of Getty Images for ACM
Maren Morris and Ryan Hurd; Photo Courtesy of Getty Images for ACM

Morris Filed for divorce From Hurd in October of 2023

According to outlets such as US Weekly and Entertainment Tonight, the CMA Award-winning artist filed for divorce from Hurd in October of 2023, just three years after their son was born. Said outlets obtained divorce documents filed in Davidson County, which revealed that “irreconcilable differences” were the reason for the dissolution of marriage, however, neither Maren Morris nor Ryan Hurd have publicly commented on the filings yet.

Morris says she is “Not Answering To Anyone” amid divorce

While she has kept the details of her divorce relatively quiet when it comes to the media, Morris let her vulnerable side shine while speaking to Denny Directo from Entertainment Tonight on Saturday (December 2), exactly two months after her split from Hurd.

When asked her mindset and her intentions heading into 2024, the 33-year-old shared, “I think just not answering to anyone and not having to protect anyone’s feelings but my own and put myself first, and I think that’s going to be a really empowering 2024. A lot of my friends are going through the same thing right now, and like all of their therapists or psychics have said, ‘2024, you need to be single.’”

While Morris has no intentions to dive back into the dating scene anytime soon, she admitted in the same interview that “we’ll see” what the future holds.

Maren Morris, Ryan Hurd; Photo Courtesy of Getty Images for The Recording Academy
Maren Morris, Ryan Hurd; Photo Courtesy of Getty Images for The Recording Academy

Morris Launched a brand-new era In September Of 2023

Announcing in September that she was leaving the country music industry once and for all after experiencing backlash for being an ally of the LGBTQ+ community, the ACM Award-winning artist released two brand-new tunes that same month — “The Tree” and “Get The Hell Out Of Here.” Released under a project titled The Bridge, the talented singer/songwriter revealed that this name is derived from the fact that these songs connect her old music to a new era of Maren Morris, much like a bridge does.

“These two songs are incredibly key to my next step because they express a very righteously angry and liberating phase of my life these last couple of years but also how my navigation is finally pointing towards the future, whatever that may be or sound like. Honoring where I’ve been and what I’ve achieved in country music, but also freely moving forward,” she spilled in a statement, prior to diving into the meaning behind both of the tracks.

“The Tree” And “Get The Hell Out Of Here”

Morris explained, “‘The Tree’ is about a toxic ‘family tree’ burning itself to the ground. Halfway through, I realize it’s burning itself down without any of my help. This song evokes the pain of exhausting all your love and time for this person or ‘entity’ but realizing it’s just a draining, transactional relationship that isn’t nourishing in any healthy way. By the end of the song, I give myself permission to face the sun, plant new seeds where it’s safer to grow and realize that sometimes there IS greener grass elsewhere.”

The songstress continued, “‘Get the Hell Out of Here’ is the part two to the tree burning. Being quite literally burned out, this is a story of me feeling pulled in every direction, needing everyone else’s understanding and acceptance but my own, and how self-destructive that ultimately became. I relinquish control of trying to change everyone’s mind or bad behavior and focus on my own power going forward. Doing the right thing can feel lonely at times, but there are more friends than foes, so I finally quit making myself one of them.”

Morris admits that her fourth studio album is “going to take a little bit longer than [she] had hoped”

While both “The Tree” and “Get The Hell Out Of Here” are the beginning of a transitional time for Morris music-wise, she is nowhere near ready to release her fourth studio album, using her divorce as a means for songwriting as we speak.

“There’s a lot of personal stuff right now I’m wading through, processing, writing through, so yeah, I’m giving myself the time to do that and not having to rush a very, huge personal thing through an album being delivered,” she dished while at the Variety Hitmakers Brunch.

Maren Morris; Photo Courtesy of Charles Sykes/Bravo
Maren Morris; Photo Courtesy of Charles Sykes/Bravo

The Texas native concluded with a beaming smile, “It’s going to take a little bit longer than I had hoped, but I have to trust the process… I think I’ve earned it.”

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Originally from Southern California and currently residing in Music City, Melanie graduated from the University of Oklahoma with a BA in Journalism before beginning her career as a music and entertainment journalist. Beginning to write for Music Mayhem in August of 2023, she has also contributed to Holler, Country Now, Country Chord, Celeb Secrets, Celeb Secrets Country, We Got This Covered and Decider throughout her career thus far. When she is not writing, Melanie enjoys going to concerts and music festivals, binging her favorite television shows, spending time with her friends and family and cheering on the Oklahoma Sooners (of course).

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