Hollywood marriages don't usually last long, but Miranda Lambert and Brendan McLoughlin
aren't your typical pair. So are they a match made in heaven, or destined for splitsville?
And is someone stepping out? Here's what we know about their wild and crazy story.
It isn't unusual for two country music icons to fall in love.
Just take Faith Hill and Tim McGraw, who have been happily married for decades,
thanks to running in the same circles within the industry. That's also what happened with
Miranda Lambert and Blake Shelton, who tied the knot in 2011. But by 2015, the seemingly happy
couple had announced that they were splitting up after almost five years of marriage. And
fans immediately assumed that Lambert would be taking time to mend her broken heart.
But the songstress quickly started dating again,
reportedly hooking up with fellow musician Evan Felker back in 2018. Then in an August
interview that year with the Tennessean, Lambert claimed she was single, adding,
"Love is a hard road sometimes and it's been a roller-coaster ride for me."
But, as the timeline goes, she was only single for a few months before meeting
Brendan McLoughlin in November 2018. And for as many ups and downs as Lambert has faced,
it's clear that the stars aligned when she crossed paths with her new man.
"It's really good to be genuinely happy. I mean,
you almost don't realize that you're not, until you get there."
Everyone has a relationship history, and it's not always a pretty one. For Lambert, her storied past
with her ex-husband, Shelton, is pretty much out there and available for anyone to dig through.
But since McLoughlin met his match with a big time star, his baggage has been making headlines
as well. He's been accused of cheating, and maybe didn't do such a great job of transitioning from
his previous relationship with Jackie Bruno. As Jackie's mom Carol explained it to Us Weekly,
"[Jackie] was engaged to Brendan and he cheated on her and got another girl pregnant. It's all true."
And well, at least part of it is true. The outlet also noted that just three days after
McLoughlin and Lambert met, he welcomed his first child — a son named Landon — with an ex.
Clearly, Lambert and McLoughlin have both had some relationship issues in the past, but that
hasn't stopped them from truckin' on together. You might not know that McLoughlin was actually
a New York City police officer when he came into Lambert's life. But, now, you also might
be wondering how exactly a cop and a famous country star would ever meet and fall in love.
As the story goes, an insider told People that the pair met on November 2nd, 2018,
when Lambert appeared on "Good Morning America” with her band, Pistol Annies.
Apparently, McLoughlin was working crowd control in the area at the time.
Even so, considering that Lambert initially kept her relationship extremely private,
it was nearly impossible to confirm that the two were an actual item.
While Lambert isn't the first star to date a non-celeb, her relationship with McLoughlin
was still very much low-key at the start. That is, until it wasn't.
Lambert fell pretty hard for McLoughlin — and vice versa, of course.
Want proof? On February 16th, 2019, just about three months after the couple met,
Lambert announced that they had made it official. Not mincing words, she posted on Instagram,
"I met the love of my life. And we got hitched!"
Obviously, this came as a huge shock to fans who didn't know she was even dating McLoughlin.
But Lambert had her reasons for keeping things private.
Explaining that she felt protective over her relationship, she revealed to People,
"I was married before, and it was a huge wedding and everything was very public.
So was my divorce. This is my actual life.
With Brendan, I made it a point to keep it as private as I could for as long as I could."
Even though the couple's wedding surprised just about everyone, there's no denying that
they both seemed genuinely happy and in love once they went public. But a few months after Lambert
announced the new union, rumors started to swirl that there might be trouble in paradise. People
magazine even reported on gossip that Lambert was ready to call off her marriage completely. But,
as it turns out, that couldn't have been further from the truth. A rep for Lambert told the outlet,
"[The report] is completely made up. Not one iota is true. They are happy and together!"
Even though the relationship and marriage was still brand new,
the couple didn't let the rumors take them down. Another insider
told the outlet that the pair were practically perfect together, adding,
"I think [Brendan] provides for her a state of [normalcy] that balances with
her life before she became Miranda Lambert." To say that Lambert and McLoughlin met during
hectic times in their lives would be a pretty massive understatement.
Lambert had recently gotten out of a relationship and was busy with her career, while McLoughlin was
literally only a few days away from becoming a first-time dad. But the two seem to have taken
all the craziness in stride. And Lambert has enjoyed becoming a stepmom to McLoughlin's son.
Lambert made it clear that she had adjusted to life as a bonus mom just fine, telling Extra,
"My stepson is amazing. I'm loving that whole phase, and I've raised a million dogs,
so I feel like that part of my womanly/motherly thing is full,
so this is a whole new journey. It's great."
Since these two seem just as at-home in New York City as they are in Nashville, Tennessee,
it's only natural to speculate on where the pair would end up spending most of their time.
Lambert owns a farm in Tennessee that she clearly cherishes, and McLoughlin has a son
in New York whom he wants to be involved with. So what's a couple to do? Well, it appears as
though they have found a way to both be where they want to be, and where they need to be.
"Life is going to give you lemons. Period.
If there wasn't problems then we wouldn't appreciate the great days, y'know?"
Detailing how she and McLoughlin split their time between two cities, she told Extra,
"We have the best of both worlds. We spend time in New York, we get to see our adorable nugget,
then we get to come back to the farm and have the quiet life. I'm enjoying the balance."
After Lambert and McLoughlin got married,
the former NYPD officer went on to make a pretty significant career shift. Not wanting
to juggle long distance, McLoughlin left his job after things with Lambert got serious.
In fact, an NYPD spokesperson told Fox News that McLoughlin was no longer employed by
the department as of February 2020, adding that his status was officially "retired."
Fox News also reported that McLoughlin has apparently taken on a role as part of
Lambert's private security team. A source who attended one of Lambert's concerts explained,
"Brendan was the security guard right before you go in to meet Miranda for her meet and greet."
Sounds like both Lambert and McLoughlin have found a way to stay close,
while maintaining their passion for their careers.
Obviously, the fact that this couple got married so soon after meeting suggests that the two have
a very strong connection. And nothing says "true love" like a romantic music video — especially
when Lambert has never featured a real-life lover in any of her videos. In October 2020, Lambert
released the music video for her single, "Settling Down," starring her hubs as her love-struck crush.
Lambert dished a little bit on what it was like making the video with her actual partner,
telling New York's Country 94.7,
"It's really special. I've never had a video in 18 years in the business with a love interest,
and so it's kinda funny that my husband's my first one."
"He's doing a good job. Just laying here and being hot."
"Just lay here."
"Lay here, be hot."
Lambert joked that McLoughlin was a no-brainer
when it came to casting because he was hot and available. She said,
"I'm like, 'You're cute, you're here, and you're free.'"
While it's unclear whether Lambert and McLoughlin went on a honeymoon after their wedding,
they sure haven't skimped on the travel since getting married. The two have not only been
bopping back and forth between New York City and Nashville, but they've also set out on
cross-country adventures together as well… even if it might have been because Lambert
was forced to take a hiatus during the pandemic. Taking to Instagram in May 2020, she posted,
"Just because I can't travel and play shows doesn't mean I can't travel and make music.
I have the most amazing travel companion, my husband,
and we decided to add a family member […] [the Airstream]. I'll be pulling this rig all over
the country. I know that seeing the world through the windshield again will bring creative vibes."
Whatever the circumstances, the two clearly enjoy spending time together on the road.
And that sounds perfectly country — and pretty darn romantic.
These two definitely had a whirlwind romance. But fans also wonder if they're going to move
as fast with having a family. Then there's the question as to whether they even want
to have kids at all! McLoughlin of course shares his son with his ex,
but does that mean the couple won't be expanding their own family anytime soon?
Well, according to one source, McLoughlin and Lambert are reportedly ready to give it a go.
Back in May 2020, the insider told In Touch that the pair was supposedly in the process of trying,
since Lambert had, quote, "baby fever." They added,
"Brendan and Miranda don't see the point in waiting around to have children.
With everyone being on lockdown, the timing couldn't be better."
"I got the dogs, you got the kid, we can just make — we can mix and mingle. It's gonna be great."
That's a big change-up from where Lambert stood on the kids issue when
she was married to Shelton. Back in 2013, she told Entertainment Tonight,
"Our dogs are our children and we kind of treat them that way."
Whether or not Lambert and McLoughlin will hold on to that family-focused vibe, now that she's back
out on the road and touring the world — looks like we'll just have to wait to find out!
Like just about everyone, Lambert and McLoughlin spent a whole lot of time at
home during the COVID lockdown, in 2020. And at that point, the pair had only been
married for about a year. Since Lambert was unable to travel and perform live,
they made like the rest of us and sheltered in place together. But as Lambert tells it,
the time off actually brought them closer together. She shared with Country 94.7,
"If newlyweds can survive a pandemic then I think we're good, you know? It's a good test."
Lambert also explained that the downtime was actually a pretty nice
change for the usually busy artist. She recalled,
"The first month I had a lot of fun. Well, not fun, but I was like, 'OK,
we're off. We'll probably be back on the road in a couple of months.'"
"It was just us two, with no distractions, at my farm outside of Nashville."
Though the lockdown certainly wasn't easy for anyone, Lambert and McLoughlin made the best
of the extra time together — and managed to strengthen their bond even more.
Even the most low-key fans of Miranda Lambert know that the country singer is passionate about
animals. Like, really, really passionate. Especially when it comes to rescuing dogs.
So naturally, McLoughlin got in on the animal rescue action when the two
got married and moved in together. But you might not expect that he's almost
as hands-on as Lambert is when it comes to four-legged pals!
In June 2020, McLoughlin spotted a kitten abandoned on the side of
the road and brought him home to Lambert. The pair named the cat Tequila, of course,
and have happily welcomed the new addition to the family. Noting that her MuttNation
company had just branched out with a cat food line, Lambert shared with People,
"Tequila is adjusting perfectly to farm life and loves hanging out with my dogs.
My husband found him at the perfect time. […] Needless to say, he has been eating well."
While they may be an odd-couple when it comes to matches made in Hollywood,
it seems these two are keeping it as down-to-earth as possible
when it comes to their unlikely — and totally blissful — romance.
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