Miranda Lambert Recently Made a Comment About Her Divorce from Blake Shelton in a Rare Podcast Moment – Details, Including What She Reportedly Thinks of Him and Gwen Stefani

Their romance once seemed like a country-music fairy tale, but the reality behind the headlines proved far more complicated. And one unexpected detail about what happened after their marriage ended might surprise those who followed the story.

More than a decade after one of country music's most talked-about breakups, a few candid words have brought a painful chapter back into focus. While the singer rarely revisits that period so openly, her latest admission isn't the only detail worth examining.

Miranda Lambert and Blake Shelton were once considered one of country music's biggest power couples, sharing the spotlight, writing songs together, and building what appeared to be a lasting romance. However, their marriage ended in 2015, leaving fans stunned and raising questions about what had happened behind the scenes.

Now, Lambert has briefly revisited that difficult period during a recent podcast appearance, offering a glimpse into the emotional toll of navigating a divorce while living in the public eye. Her remarks also bring renewed attention to an earlier report about how she reportedly felt when Shelton moved on with fellow Musician Gwen Stefani.

A Love Story That Once Seemed Destined to Last

Long before their split dominated headlines, Lambert and Shelton's relationship began with a connection neither seemed able to ignore. According to a relationship timeline published by PopCulture.com in June 2020, the two first crossed paths while performing at the televised CMT 100 Greatest Duets Concert in 2005.

They sang "You're the Reason God Made Oklahoma" together, but there was one considerable complication: Shelton was still married to his first wife, Kaynette Gern. Lambert later acknowledged knowing that the singer was married when their connection developed.

During a 2011 "Dateline" interview, she admitted she knew better than to become involved with someone who was already in a relationship. Shelton similarly reflected on their unexpected chemistry during a 2011 appearance on VH1's "Behind the Music," recalling that he had never experienced anything quite like singing with Lambert.

Looking back, he realized he had begun falling for her during that performance. "I was a married guy, you know? Standing up there and singing with somebody and going, 'Man, this shouldn't be happening.' Looking back on that, I was falling in love with her, right there on stage," Shelton had reflected.

He ended up filing for divorce from Gern in 2006, and he and Lambert subsequently began dating. Their relationship wasn't always easy, particularly as both musicians balanced demanding careers.

In a 2007 interview with the Associated Press, Shelton acknowledged that their disagreements could be intense, but he also described Lambert as someone with whom he shared an unusually strong connection.

Despite the occasional challenges, the relationship continued to grow. In May 2010, Shelton proposed in the woods near Lambert's home in Tishomingo, Oklahoma. As Lambert revealed to PEOPLE, her then-future husband had first called her father to ask for his blessing. "That was so Southern and old-school and perfect," she recalled.

The couple celebrated their engagement with Bacardi and Diet Sprites served in Solo cups, an appropriately down-to-earth moment for the country music sweethearts. Lambert also expressed excitement about marrying Shelton and spending the rest of her life with him. Their wedding followed in 2011 at Don Strange Ranch in Texas.

According to PEOPLE's coverage of the ceremony, the celebration combined rustic charm with celebrity glamor, with guests including Kelly Clarkson, Reba McEntire, Dierks Bentley, Hillary Scott, Katherine Heigl, and Josh Kelley. Lambert wore her mother's wedding dress, while the couple incorporated personal touches into the festivities, including venison Lambert had hunted herself.

Shelton even performed a song he had written for his bride. Lambert's mother, Bev, later recalled how emotional the vows had been, particularly when Shelton looked intently at her daughter. At the time, the couple appeared to have everything they needed for a beautiful future together.

Behind the Romance, Things Were Getting Complicated

But maintaining their marriage while pursuing two successful music careers came with challenges. In 2011, Shelton joined "The Voice" as a coach, requiring him to spend considerable time working in California while Lambert continued touring. The couple reportedly established a rule that they would never spend more than two weeks apart.

According to E! News' examination of their marital struggles, Shelton acknowledged that Lambert made many of the sacrifices necessary to maintain that arrangement. With Shelton tied to his television commitments, Lambert frequently traveled to see him between her own performances.

Yet the pressures weren't limited to scheduling. As their fame grew, so did public interest in their marriage. During a November 2014 "60 Minutes" interview, Lambert discussed the importance of maintaining some boundaries despite their very public relationship. As E! News later recounted, she explained that although the couple had shared plenty about their lives, their home remained the one place they wanted to protect from outside scrutiny.

Meanwhile, rumors about trouble in their marriage continued circulating. In 2013, reports even linked Shelton to Singer Cady Groves, although the couple repeatedly pushed back against speculation surrounding their relationship. Shelton publicly emphasized the trust between them, while Lambert reportedly declared backstage at the ACM Awards that divorce was not an option.

Unfortunately, their marriage ultimately took a different course. On July 20, 2015, Lambert and Shelton announced that they were divorcing after four years of marriage. "This is not the future we envisioned," their representatives said in a joint statement reported by Us Weekly.

The statement explained that the two were moving forward separately and requested privacy and compassion for everyone involved. For fans who had watched their romance unfold over the years, the announcement was a major surprise. What made the situation even more striking was how quickly the legal proceedings had been completed.

Blake Shelton and Miranda Lambert's Unexpectedly Quick Divorce

Speaking about the separation in September 2015, Shelton revealed that their divorce had been finalized before most people even knew what was happening. As Entertainment Tonight reported, the former couple's divorce agreement was finalized the same day their separation became public.

During an interview on the "Bobby Bones Show," Shelton explained why everything had moved so swiftly. "In Oklahoma, it happens so fast," he said. "Once we filed for divorce, it was over in, like, I think it was a nine or 10-day waiting period until it's over [sic]." The musician explained that he and Lambert had no children together and had a prenuptial agreement, which helped simplify the process.

Initial reports suggested that Shelton would retain the couple's Oklahoma ranch, while Lambert would receive their Nashville home. Shelton also explained that the speed of the proceedings had prevented the situation from becoming a prolonged public spectacle.

"By the time anybody knew anything, it was over... It was done," he recalled. Still, the emotional aftermath wasn't necessarily as straightforward as the legal process. Just before the divorce announcement, Lambert reportedly became emotional while performing onstage, while Shelton was photographed wearing his wedding ring the day before the news broke.

Shelton subsequently attempted to maintain his characteristic humor. When ET encountered him on the set of "The Voice" shortly after the split, he acknowledged that it had been a particularly difficult week.

Later, he jokingly pushed an empty baby stroller in front of photographers and responded to questions about regrets with another lighthearted remark about drinking. His representative clarified that the singer knew the paparazzi were present and had been joking.

The two even maintained some playful interactions on social media after their separation. But the fact that their divorce was resolved quickly didn't mean the experience was easy to process. And Lambert's latest comments offer a particularly revealing reminder of that distinction.

Miranda Lambert Recently Revisited That Difficult Period

During an episode of the "And The Writer Is…" podcast with Ross Golan, published on YouTube on October 27, 2026, Lambert reflected on what was happening in her personal life during 2015. The conversation touched on her return to songwriting and the circumstances that led her to reconnect with that creative side of herself.

During the discussion, Lambert made an unusually candid acknowledgment about her divorce. "I got divorced, and that sucks for anyone, especially in the public eye," she said. The country singer emphasized how complicated the situation had been because she was still touring and both she and Shelton were navigating highly visible careers.

Then came the particularly striking admission. "It just was a really not fun time." The brief comment offered a direct glimpse into how Lambert remembered that period more than 11 years later. Rather than dwelling on the details of the breakup or revisiting old disagreements, she focused on how difficult the circumstances had been.

However, Lambert also explained that the experience led her back toward something important. She had moved to Nashville full-time and began immersing herself in songwriting. In fact, she admitted that she had missed that creative process. "I dove headfirst into songwriting," she recalled, describing how she redirected her energy into making music.

The revelation suggests that even amid a deeply uncomfortable personal transition, Lambert found a way to reconnect with an essential part of her identity.

And while she didn't use the podcast moment to criticize Shelton or discuss Stefani, her comments naturally raise interest in what had previously been reported about her feelings toward the couple.

What Miranda Reportedly Thought About Shelton and Stefani

Following Lambert and Shelton's divorce, the "God's Country" singer began dating Stefani, his fellow coach on "The Voice." The relationship quickly attracted considerable attention, particularly because Shelton and Lambert's split had been so highly publicized. With Stefani entering the picture, speculation about possible tension between the two women seemed almost inevitable.

Yet a report published several months after the divorce painted a surprisingly different picture. In January 2016, E! News reported that Lambert and Stefani reportedly had considerable respect for each other, despite the circumstances surrounding their relationships.

An unnamed insider claimed that the two women were admirers of each other's music. The source further suggested that Lambert considered Stefani extremely talented and held her in high regard.

Perhaps even more surprisingly, the insider claimed that Lambert wasn't angry or jealous about Stefani's relationship with Shelton. Instead, the source offered a much more positive account. "Miranda is happy that they are doing well and wishes the best for them," the insider told E! News.

The source added that Lambert was focusing on herself, enjoying a then-new relationship, and was in good spirits. The report also suggested that Stefani felt similarly toward Lambert. According to the insider, Stefani admired Lambert's music and was pleased that the country star was finding happiness in her own romantic life.

The source characterized Stefani as someone who preferred to avoid unnecessary conflict. There were even small public signs supporting the possibility of a cordial relationship. At the time, Lambert and Stefani reportedly followed each other on social media and occasionally liked each other's posts.

While such gestures didn't necessarily reveal the full nature of their relationship, they contrasted with assumptions that the two women must have been involved in a feud. Lambert was also moving forward romantically. By early 2016, she was dating fellow Musician Anderson East, and the pair had shared an affectionate photograph after celebrating the New Year.

The romance was still relatively new at the time, but reports suggested Lambert was enjoying getting to know him. Importantly, the claims about Lambert's feelings toward Shelton and Stefani came from an unnamed source in January 2016, not from a recent statement by Lambert herself.

Her October 2026 podcast comments addressed the experience of divorce and its impact on her songwriting, rather than her present-day feelings about either musician. Nevertheless, the earlier report remains an interesting part of the story, particularly considering how much public attention surrounded the former couple's separation. And Lambert's romantic life eventually took another unexpected turn.

How Lambert Found Love Again

After her relationships with East and Musician Evan Felker, Lambert met former New York City Police Officer Brendan McLoughlin in 2018. Their meeting had the makings of a romantic comedy, and Lambert's friends played a surprisingly important role.

According to an NBC Insider report published in September 2024, Lambert was in New York City promoting music with her group Pistol Annies when McLoughlin caught her friends' attention. He was working security for "Good Morning America" when the women spotted him and decided he might be a good match for Lambert.

During a 2019 interview with The New York Times, Lambert explained how her friends secretly arranged the introduction. "They invited him to our show behind my back. They plucked him for me," she recalled. McLoughlin, a Staten Island native, had joined the NYPD before 2015 and was also a father.

According to PEOPLE's profile of Lambert's husband, he welcomed a child from a previous relationship in November 2018. Things between Lambert and McLoughlin progressed quickly. By Valentine's Day 2019, the country star had announced on X that they were married. McLoughlin subsequently took a leave of absence from the NYPD before eventually retiring from the police department.

The couple also discovered an unexpected shared interest: songwriting. During a 2024 interview on "TODAY," Lambert revealed that they began writing music together in 2020 while spending time at home. Initially, it was simply something they did for fun, but Lambert soon realized her husband had a talent for it.

McLoughlin eventually received a songwriting credit on her track "Dammit Randy" and had previously appeared alongside his wife in the 2020 music video for "Settling Down." Their relationship also introduced Lambert to a new family role.

In a 2019 interview with "Extra," she enthusiastically discussed becoming a stepmother. "My stepson is amazing," she said, explaining that she was enjoying that phase of her life. For Lambert, who has long been passionate about animal rescue and raising dogs, becoming a stepmother represented a different and exciting experience.

Her career also continued flourishing, with the singer receiving the Country Icon Award at the 2024 People's Choice Country Awards. The honor celebrated more than two decades of her contributions to country music, including her individualism, songwriting, and influence on the genre.

Looking back, Lambert's story has unfolded through major career achievements, personal changes, and relationships that attracted considerable public attention.

Yet her recent podcast appearance offered a different perspective on one of the most scrutinized periods of her life. While the world watched a celebrity marriage end, Lambert was dealing with the very personal reality of a divorce.

And more than a decade later, her acknowledgment of just how unpleasant that experience had been serves as a reminder that even the most public breakups can leave private emotions behind.