Maren Morris Is Living It Up Post-Divorce

Maren Morris is every mom figuring out life post-divorce. In an interview with Angela Melero for TZR, Morris shared how she’s navigating co-parenting, the dating scene, and sharing her sexuality with the world.

Morris, 35, is making a sprawling new life for herself. It’s been over a year since she finalized her divorce from fellow musician Ryan Hurd, and she’s been busy, between co-parenting their 5-year-old son Hayes, dating, and working on her upcoming album, Dreamsicle.

Morris and Hurd live only five minutes apart from each other, making drop-offs particularly easy — they spend alternating weeks with Hayes. What’s not easy, Morris said, is adjusting to her off-weeks.

“Those weeks I have him, the house is full of chaos and energy and laughter and scraped knees,” she said. “And then, when he is not there, you have to recalibrate your alone-ness because you’re like, ‘Wow, this is just me in here now.’ That’s when I’ve leaned into it and not been drowned by my own company.”

Morris carried that mindset to dating, too. Her past year of dating, she said, offered plenty of experiences that have helped her finally finish her record. But, she’s not about to give up her newfound independence.

“I have joked that I want to be like Frida Kahlo and her husband and just live next door to each other,” Morris said. “If I ever meet someone that I want to be romantically linked to, I’ll be like, ‘You can live next door.’ Frida and her husband, their bedrooms were connected by a bridge. That’s about as close as I want to be to someone.”

Morris hasn’t had to navigate life post-divorce by herself. She found a community in Nashville, including legendary Sheryl Crow, who she’s been able to go to for advice and support.

“It’s just so nice to know mothers that have gone through this and made it out the other side,” Morris told TZR. “Their kids are happy, and they’re friends with their exes, and they have family dinners. I’m getting into that space now, which is so much more peaceful.”

The past year has also given Morris the space and courage to publicly share her sexuality. Morris has long been a vocal advocate for LGBTQ+ rights. Last June, she publicly came out as bisexual, announcing on Instagram that she was “Happy to be the B in LGBTQ+.”

“I’ve always known that I am attracted to men and women,” she said. “I think because I’ve been in straight relationships the last 15 years of my life, which has been consumed by my music career and living in Nashville, I never felt brave enough to talk about it.”

“That was just a facet of me that I didn’t think I wanted private anymore,” Morris said of her decision to come out. “I wanted to be able to connect with my fans and my queer community. Especially in a time where you’re in this free-for-all post-divorce reckoning, community has been so necessary for me and life-saving. Being honest and being vulnerable is the only way that you find community.”

Read the full interview with TZR here.