A Timeline Of Garth Brooks & Trisha Yearwood’s Relationship & Marriage

Laying Out The Timeline Of Garth Brooks And Trisha Yearwood’s Entire Relationship – From Their First Meeting, To Marriage, And Beyond

The timeline of Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood’s relationship begins in 1987. The two country singers were friends and collaborators long before they became a couple. They eventually married in 2005, over 18 years after their first meeting.

Garth and Trisha continued collaborating on various projects after they said, “I do.” They toured together, released a duets album, and participated in charity work.

But the famous duo has recently come under scrutiny. On October 4, a former hair and makeup artist who worked for the couple filed a lawsuit against Garth, in which she made some serious allegations about his conduct and character.

Keep reading to learn some information about the lawsuit—and for a timeline of Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood’s relationship up to this point.

The Full Timeline Of Garth Brooks And Trisha Yearwood’s Relationship

Garth And Trisha Meet For The First Time

Garth and Trisha met at the beginning of their careers, long before they were superstar performers. They were both unsigned artists when they met at a demo recording in 1987.

Speaking to Ellen DeGeneres in 2013 about the moment he and Trisha met, Garth said, “It’s strange because I felt that feeling like when you just meet your wife, but I’d been married for 13 months.”

When he and Trisha met, Garth was married to his first wife, Sandy Mahl. Trisha was also married, to music producer Christopher Latham. She and Christopher divorced in 1991.

PEOPLE reports Trisha later told CMT that Garth promised to bring her on tour if he got a record deal. That record deal came soon after, and his debut album dropped in 1989. That album contained songs such as “The Dance,” “If Tomorrow Never Comes,” and “Much Too Young.”

Staying true to his word, Garth brought Trisha on tour after he hit it big. The two of them remained friends and continued to work together in the years that followed.

Collaborations Before They Married

Trisha released her own debut album in 1991. The album contained a cover of the song “Victim of the Game,” which Garth co-wrote with Mark D. Sanders. The song first appeared on Garth’s 1990 album No Fences.

Garth also co-wrote another song that appeared on Trisha’s debut album, “Like We Never Had a Broken Heart.” He provided backing vocals on that track and Trisha’s version of “Victim of the Game.”

Later, Trisha sang backing vocals on Brooks’ 1991 album Ropin’ the Wind. 

The pair also released several duets together, including “In Another’s Eyes” (which earned them a Grammy), “Where Your Road Leads,” and “Squeeze Me In.” Those tracks were released in 1997, 1998, and 2002, respectively.

Divorces & Becoming An Official Couple

Trisha married her second husband, Robert Reynolds, in 1994, but they divorced in 1999.

Meanwhile, Garth and his wife Sandy welcomed three children: Taylor (born in 1992), August (born in 1994), and Allie (born in 1996). Garth made the decision to temporarily retire from performing and recording for a few years so he could spend more time at home with his kids.

Garth and Sandy separated in 1999, announced their divorce in 2000, and finalized their split in 2001. Still, they worked together to co-parent their daughters and be present forces in their lives.

Sandy shared her side of the story in a 2019 documentary about Garth’s career, saying they “couldn’t get along anymore” and grew apart after his meteoric rise to fame.

Garth and Trisha made their first red carpet appearance as a couple at the Songwriters Hall of Fame induction ceremony on June 13, 2002.

Engagement And Marriage

On May 25, 2005, Garth proposed to Trisha during the “Legends in Bronze” event at Buck Owens’ Crystal Palace in California. During the event, bronze statues representing major country artists—including Garth—were unveiled for the crowd to admire.

Garth contacted sculptor Bill Rains and asked if he could include a wedding ring on his statue’s left hand. He obliged, which led to a surprise when Garth pointed out the ring to Trisha during the statue’s presentation

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Then, while onstage in front of 7,000 people, Garth got down on one knee and asked Trisha to be his wife. Totally shocked, she responded with a “Yes.”

Garth and Trisha married later that year during a private ceremony at their home in Oklahoma on December 10, 2005.

More Collaborations And Charity Work

Garth and Trisha continued to work together as a married couple. In 2016, they released their first (and so far, only) duets album, Christmas Together. Then in 2020, they released their version of “Shallow” from A Star Is Born. That recording reached the 21st spot on the Country Airplay chart.

In addition to releasing music together, Garth and Trisha have also traveled the world on various tours. But they’ve also collaborated outside of the music world.

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Garth has appeared on Trisha’s cooking show, Trisha’s Southern Kitchen, and inspired some of her recipes. Likewise, dishes inspired by Trisha’s cooking appear on the menu at Garth’s Friends in Low Places Bar & Honky-Tonk in downtown Nashville.

Garth and Trisha have also collaborated on charity work. They’re especially known as longtime supporters of Habitat for Humanity.

The Lawsuit…

On October 4, 2024, news broke that a woman who previously worked as Garth and Trisha’s hair and makeup artist had filed a lawsuit against Garth, accusing him of sexual assault and rape. Garth has denied all of the woman’s accusations, stating:

“I want to continue our good deeds going forward. It breaks my heart these wonderful things are in question now. I trust the system, I do not fear the truth, and I am not the man they have painted me to be.”

Garth claims he’s “the victim of a shakedown” and alleges his accuser is after “hush money.” 

“This thing is on. It’s gonna happen,” Garth said while briefly addressing the lawsuit on an episode of his Inside Studio G series on Facebook. “And people are telling me it could be up to two years, so my suggestion is, we all take a deep breath, we all just kind of settle in and let’s hold hands and take the trip together, okay?“

Trisha broke her multi-day social media silence on October 7 by sharing a photo of her and Garth singing together during one of his recent Vegas residency shows. She captioned the picture, “Love One Another.”