Maren Morris Focuses on Self-Empowerment After Ryan Hurd Divorce: Prioritizing Herself First
Maren Morris embraces self-empowerment amid her divorce from Ryan Hurd, vowing to prioritize her personal growth and well-being in the coming years
Maren Morris and Ryan Hurd. Getty Images (2)
Following her divorce from Ryan Hurd, Maren Morris is prioritizing self-focus. "[I'm] not answering to anyone and not having to protect anyone's feelings but my own and put myself first," Morris, 33, stated to Entertainment Tonight at Variety's Hitmakers Brunch on Saturday, December 2. "And I think that's going to be a really empowering 2024."
In October, we confirmed that Morris, who won Changemaker of the Year on Saturday, filed for divorce from Hurd after five years of marriage. Morris added to ET that many of her friends are going through similar experiences, and she has found support within her inner circle. Some of her friends' therapists or psychics have also suggested that they need to be single by 2024.
The singer of "Tall Guys" is currently not in a relationship, and she mentioned that she is not yet ready to start dating. Instead, she is finding inspiration for her songwriting in her new life circumstances.
"I'm currently dealing with a lot of personal issues and working through them by writing," Morris stated. "I'm letting myself take the time to do this and not rushing to release an album. It may take longer than expected, but I have to have faith in the process."
Morris cited “irreconcilable differences” as the reason for her divorce, per docs obtained by Us in October. They separated that same month, which initially surprised Hurd.
Maren Morris and Ryan Hurd's decision to split seemed sudden and unexpected for Ryan, according to an exclusive source who spoke to Us at the time.
Weeks later, the couple, who had been estranged, reunited and took their 3-year-old son Hayes trick-or-treating on Halloween. Morris and Hurd first met in 2014 when they were paired to write Tim McGraw’s “Last Turn Home,” and quickly became friends. They began dating a year later, got engaged in 2017, and tied the knot in March 2018, two years before Hayes was born.
"Ryan has always been a creative collaborator in my life, that's how we met," Morris previously shared with Us in March 2019. "We were paired together six years ago to write a song. We didn't know each other and it just kind of grew from there, so music has always been really intertwined in our love for each other, and now that we aren't just songwriters, we're artists, the timing of being married and also touring is very chaotic at times."
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As Morris goes through her divorce, she is also experiencing a change in her career. In September, she revealed that she was stepping away from country music due to the growing toxic environment. Morris had faced backlash in the industry for supporting the LGBTQ+ community.
"I don't want to say goodbye, but I can no longer be part of the toxic environment in this institution," she shared during an October episode of The New York Times' "Popcast" podcast. "I'm not sure if it's a permanent decision. I'm not turning my back on country music fans, that's not my intention. It's just certain aspects of the music industry that I need to distance myself from."
