These wives & husbands are making names for themselves on social media -- and sometimes courting controversy along the way.
They might not be topping the Billboard charts like their country-superstar partners, but a handful of Nashville wives and husbands have become celebrities in their own right as social media influencers — sometimes even drawing millions of followers.
Interspersed with adoring photos alongside their mates are often posts about product endorsements, beauty hints, cooking tips, business recommendations, childcare suggestions and — this is where it sometimes gets tricky — politics.
Billboard reported that Jason’s longtime publicity firm, The GreenRoom PR, part ways with the clients of 17 years. Though the GreenRoom’s statement to Billboard did not give a reason — other than to say the company’s focus is on the music — the move came shortly after Aldean’s wife, Brittany, had posted comments on her Instagram feed including “I’d really like to thank my parents for not changing my gender when I went through my tomboy phase,” followed by criticism of gender-affirming care. Though she later claimed her comments had been taken out of context (without explaining how), many people — including Maren Morris and Cassadee Pope — had called out her comments as transphobic.
Brittany Aldean has capitalized on the controversy, launching a new clothing line with proceeds going to charity and appearing on Fox News’ Tucker Carlson Tonight on Thursday, positioning herself as a child advocate.
But not all of these women (and man!) are courting controversy on their Instagram feeds. Below are some of the country music wives and husbands with the biggest followings on the social media site and how they’re using their platforms.
Lauren Akins, 2.7 million followers
The wife of Thomas Rhett, Akins has become a full-on celebrity in her own right. While she doesn’t post nearly as often as many of her counterparts, she hit the New York Times Bestseller List with Live in Love, her 2021 memoir about their relationship and how she found purpose in her own life, including through adopting their first child after a mission trip in Uganda. While many of the country wives post aspirational, picture-perfect versions of their lives, Akins often throws in a dose of humor, such as two weeks ago when she posted a decidedly unglamorous photo of her trying to figure out how to get a stuck comb out of her hair after she and her kids played beauty p
Brittany Aldean, @brittanyaldean, 2.3 million followers
Perhaps more so than any other country spouse, Aldean has parlayed being the wife of country superstar Jason Aldean into her own celebrity brand. Aldean is equally at home touting brands (her clip-in hair extensions line, XOBrittAldean, has 157,000 Instagram followers) as she is pushing anti-Biden merchandise, including “FJB” fanny packs and, following her recent comments criticizing parents of transgender youth, her new “Don’t Tread On Our Kids” clothing line with her sister Kasi. There are also plenty of ultra-glam posts of her with Aldean, as well as sweet photos of their kids. She may be a lightning rod for the left and an election denierKatelyn Brown, @katelynbrown, 1.4 million followers
Katelyn and her husband Kane Brown met after she attended one of his concerts in 2015. Now music fans get more inside scoop on this couple’s day-to-day lives via Kane’s and Katelyn’s Instagram pages. Katelyn’s Insta often features the couple’s two children, Kodi Jane and Kingsley Rose, offering an inside look at life at home and on the road. She also promotes her Allen Rose line of wine that launched earlier this year, a line that includes pinot and rose. For Mother’s Day, she offered a shout-out to the floral arrangements of Venus et Fle
Caroline Bryan, @linabryan3, 1.1 million followers
As half of one of the most hilarious couples in country music, Luke Bryan’s wife Caroline Bryan keeps the LOLs coming with a steady stream of pranks and family antics that pop up on her Instagram feed, from images of her country star husband in costumes and wild hairstyles to other unfiltered moments. What do you expect from someone whose Instagram profile shot features her guzzling a cocktail? Her Instagram also links to her Best Bad Influence line of apparel, accessories and drinkware, as well as to the nonprofit organization Brett’s Barn, launched in memory of the couple’s late niece, Sadie Brett Boyer
Nicole Combs, @nicolejcombs, 994k followers
Luke Combs’ wife, Nicole, formerly worked at performing rights organization BMI, but her nearly 1 million followers now flock to her Instagram not for music advice, but for the sweet, romantic photos of her and Combs — and now family snaps since the birth of their son, Tex, on, appropriately enough, Father’s Day. Combs tends to keep it simple and apolitical, concentrating on family pics, travelogues, book suggestions and plugging her brands, including a clothing collection, Luke Combs X Nicole, which includes T-shirts with some of her husband’s lyrics on them. Her mantra on her page sums up her posts: “Find the good in each day
Hayley Hubbard, @hayley_hubbard, 401k followers
The wife of Florida Georgia Line’s Tyler Hubbard (who is now pursuing a solo career) posts primarily about their fun life on the road, but also with brands. This week’s posts include preparing fish tacos for her three small kids with Gorton’s Seafood and packing their school lunches with kale salad and Mary Ruth Organics multivitamin gummies. She also finds time to post pranks on her unsuspecting husband, including almost convincing him that his vasectomy didn’t work, on Meaning Full Living, the parenting podcast she co-hosts. Though Hubbard tends to stay apolitical, she did post her gratitude that Juneteenth was now a national holiday in June 2021 and a photo of her and Hubbard in masks receiving their COVID-19 vaccines. She and her husband drew attention in November 2020 when they both stopped following FGL’s Brian Kelley and his wife on Instagram for a short time over their differing political views. (The Hubbards were Team Biden, the Kelleys were Team TrumpBrittney
Kelley, @brittneykelley, 217k followers
Brian Kelley’s wife Brittney has built a dedicated following, thanks to her videos and photos with fashion and beauty secrets, beachy vacation pics, family snapshots, photos of workout sessions, and mental health advocacy. Her Instagram also links to her video blog on YouTube and clothing brand Tribe Kelley, which she leads with her husband, who, like his FGL partner Tyler Hubbard, is also pursuing a solo career. She used her social media in 2020 to for a number of since-deleted posts touting a number of election and COVID-19 conspiracy theories, according to Rolling Stone, but then pulled back and stressed unity, including posting after the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, “I do not believe in violence, or mobs/cults rioting or storming buildings. I do not believe ‘patriots’ are the people storming the bu
Kailey Dickerson, @kaileydickerson, 141k followers
When Russell Dickerson’s wife Kailey isn’t sharing cute snaps of the couple’s son Remington, she’s letting fans in on the guests and friends she welcomes to her podcast, Coffee with Kailey. Previous guests on the podcast have included Breland, Natalie Grant, Walker Hayes and author Annie F. Downs. Recent posts include a sweet snapshot of Kailey Dickerson meeting one of her country music heroes, Tim McGraw.
Brendan McLoughlin, @brendanjmcloughlin, 125k followers
Miranda Lambert’s husband, former New York City Police officer Brendan McLoughlin, generally uses his Instagram to post pictures of him and his award-winning wife on red carpets or out in nature, such as during their recent Airstream camping trip with BFFs Gwen Sebastian and her husband. Otherwise, he promotes his friends’ businesses and shouts out support to 9/11 first responders and Pride Month — but he’s also not above the occasional thirst-trap photo, usually featuring him shirtless to show off his well-toned absmcloughlin)
Taylor Mills Young, @taylormillsyoung, 118k followers
Brett Young’s wife Taylor doesn’t post super frequently on Instagram, but her collection of pristine posts do focus on the couple’s children Presley and Rowan, along with photos of Brett and Taylor, other family members and friends, as well as an inspirational quote or two or a shout out to Hershey’s sponsorship of National Women’s Day. There is also a nod to the country artist’s recent children’s book, Love You, Little Lady, which released in 2021 and was inspired by one of his No. 1 Country Airplay hits,
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