Maddie Marlowe Font and Tae Dae Kerr, who make up the country duo Maddie & Tae, have announced their separation.
“Thank you for all the love as we enter this new bittersweet chapter,” the “Girls in a Country Song” hitmakers wrote. wrote in a post on Instagram December 8th.
“We both feel overwhelmed with gratitude for what we have created together over the past 12 years,” they added. “Thank you for making our wildest dreams come true, and we hope you stick around to watch us chase new dreams. We love you very much and hope you still come on tour with us next year.”
Before splitting, the duo plans to perform 11 more shows as Maddie and Tae. But while they are calling it quits for now, the couple say they are leaving the door open to one day reunite.
“We leave it so open because, you know, one day we might make another record,” Font, 30, This is stated in a joint interview with People. “Maybe one day we'll go on tour.”
“Absolutely,” Kerr, 30, added.
“But this particular season, it seems impossible for us to do it together,” Font said.
Kerr said she plans to put her career on the back burner and focus on her family. She is married to Grammy-winning songwriter and producer Josh Kerr, with whom she shares daughter Leighton, 3, and son Chapel, 1. Font is considering a solo career.
Although Maddie and Tae are on different paths, mutual respect still exists.
“Even though we're not going on this trip together like Maddie and Tae, we still hang out and live together outside of this trip,” Font, who has a 2-year-old son, Forrest, with her husband John Font, told People. “And I think I'm really excited about just being best friends and growing our friendship and not worrying so much about work and still raising our kids together. None of that changes.”
Kerr also said that getting to this point was painful.
“It was such a hard, difficult — honestly, heartbreaking — decision,” she said. “This has been my only dream since I came out of my mother's womb. I had a very specific vision of making music and singing music. When we met at 15, this is what we set out to do, and we are both so grateful that we went through the path that we had. This career was everything we ever wanted.”
Maddie and Tae burst onto the scene with their 2015 debut album, Start Here. They released “Love & Light” earlier this year. Besides “Girl in a Country Song,” their other popular songs include “Fly” and “Die from a Broken Heart.”
The duo is currently on tour with their final show scheduled for June 19, 2026 in Winsted, Minnesota.
As for what led to the split, Font says she felt Kerr was missing her family last year. They finally had a phone call in September.
“Maddie just said, 'Tell me where your heart is,'” Kerr said. “And I thought, 'My heart is at home.' And she said, “OK. Then this is what we need to do.”
Font also noted how important it is for each of them to be involved in their family's lives.
“I couldn’t imagine not having a family,” she said. “We both couldn't imagine not choosing this. Children in your family – there's nothing that could top that… Our goal was never to become the biggest stars in the world. Our goal was to create music that mattered and influenced people, and we achieved that…”
Kerr also feels lucky that she can now turn her attention to her personal life.
“Life changes, and there are times when your family needs you more,” she says. “I’m very, very grateful that I’m in a position where I can now stay home and be with my family.”
