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Carly Pearce And Michael Ray: What Happened?

The news that Carly Pearce filed for divorce from Michael Ray less than a year after they got married shocked the country music community. So what happened? The couple seemed…

Carly Pearce And Michael Ray: What Happened?
Jason Kempin/Getty Images

The news that Carly Pearce filed for divorce from Michael Ray less than a year after they got married shocked the country music community. So what happened?

The couple seemed so happy in the months leading up to their Grand Ole Opry stage marriage, with Pearce frequently posting about much of the preparation for the wedding, from the day they got their invitations printed, to her bachelorette party details.

Then the pandemic hit in March,  forcing everyone had to stay home. During the quarantine, Pearce told us that she and Ray were spending time together watching Tiger King and relaxing. She said at the time, "Michael and I, we've never had this much time to just rest. We've never had this time together. We've never been able to just really be normal. So I take it as a blessing."

She then added, "Actually we're leaving today. He just he left to go to Florida to see his family for a few days. I'm leaving to go do social distancing with my mom, who has a lung disease, but we didn't want to leave each other. So, you know, we're figuring it out. It's hard."

No official explanation has been given for their split but a source told People when the divorce was filed, "This hasn’t been a quarantine realization. It was a last resort."

The couple's last public appearance together was on June 6, when they both performed without a live audience at the Grand Ole Opry.

Last night (6/23), silent on the divorce filing, Michael Ray posted about another sad event in his life as he lost his uncle. He wrote, "This one is gonna take a while. I can’t believe you’re gone Uncle T. There will not be a day I don’t think about you or hear that laugh. Thank you for the lessons and the time. Your free spirit will be carried forever in us. Love you!"

Carly's last social media post on Instagram was a few days ago when she was celebrating a number one song. She wrote, "I have the best friends so thankful for lots of wine & time with the ones I love most."

Meanwhile, fans were starting to notice something strange on social media.

Pearce's song "I Hope You're Happy Now" is a song she co-wrote along with Luke Combs, and which she performed as a duet with Lee Brice, was the story of her breakup with a boyfriend she ended just before she got together with Michael Ray. The song topped the country singles chart, although now it may take new meaning for Pearce, Ray and their fans.

Nancy Brooks has been working in the country music industry for almost 30 years. She has interviewed pretty much any country star you can think of. In the late 1990s, she started working with Dolly Parton. And yes, Nancy reports that Parton is as sweet as you would think. She loves her life in country music and has been backstage at every CMA Awards show since the late 1990s. Many of her stories are from her one-on-one interviews. She was there at the beginning of the incredible careers of many music superstars today, including Taylor Swift, Shania Twain, and Blake Shelton, and has interviewed them multiple times throughout the years.