Carly Pearce realised her wedding night was a mistake and drastically changed her life
In a recent podcast, the country star described her ex's 'Jekyll and Hyde' behaviour, which she noticed only after it was too late
Carly Pearce is sharing the moment she realised her marriage was doomed, not long after exchanging vows.
In a recent chat on “The Person Who Believed In Me” podcast, the 36-year-old country star mentioned that she realised on her wedding night that marrying was a mistake, stating “he made it very clear that I had made a huge mistake.”
“There was a bit of Jekyll and Hyde…which I hadn’t noticed until it was too late,” she explained. “I’m thankful for my brief marriage because it taught me a great deal about myself. It also led to the creation of the album ‘29.’”
When asked to elaborate, Pearce expressed that the marriage and subsequent divorce “showed me just how resilient I am” as she quickly understood, “this was not what I deserved,” and took action to change it.
“I turned my world upside down to leave it behind,” she said. “I didn’t stay because society suggests you should. I didn’t remain because my faith views divorce negatively. I didn’t continue because it was public. I was ready to move on.”
The “Dear Miss Loretta” artist was married to fellow country singer Michael Ray from October 2019 to June 2020.
Their relationship and split inspired her third album, “29,” which includes tracks such as “What He Didn’t Do” and “Next Girl.”
Pearce admitted that though she doesn’t consider herself a “good communicator,” she finds song writing a more effective way to voice her thoughts, saying, “I need to express it in writing to understand it.” This led her to pen “six very intense songs” regarding her divorce, initially believing they might be excessive for the album.
“I assumed it was only my story, but I’ve discovered it resonates with many others’ experiences,” she commented.
She went on to win a Grammy Award for best country duo/group performance for the song, “Never Wanted to be That Girl,” from the album, featuring Ashley McBryde.
In 2025, Pearce disclosed her relationship with entrepreneur Jordan Karcher through a cosy Instagram selfie.
During the “Dumb Blonde” podcast in August 2025, Pearce spoke about her new romance, expressing she’s “more content than ever” and shared she met him on the dating platform Raya.
“I never thought I could meet a genuine person on Raya,” she expressed. “I just wondered how I could find someone who aligns with me. He’s not involved in the entertainment industry, which is fantastic. I’m just genuinely happy.”
Pearce recently encouraged her followers to seek medical advice proactively following a health scare when her pericarditis was initially misdiagnosed.
She remembered feeling ignored by healthcare professionals and urged her followers to advocate for their health consistently.
“‘Oh, it’s just anxiety. Oh, you have a demanding lifestyle,’” Pearce recalled them saying. “But really, ‘No, something’s off.’ And so, in 2024, I made it public because it was significant for a while. But I’m in a good place now. I haven’t experienced any major flare-ups. However, I believe in being transparent with people and using my platform to say, ‘Please get checked because something was definitely wrong.’”
