Why Did Country Star Zac Brown Get Divorced? Inside His Past Marriage

Celebrity marriages are often the topic of public discussion and tabloid fodder, especially those that are filled with drama despite their short timelines. Country star Zac Brown falls into this category, as his four-month marriage to Kelly Yazdi was complicated from the start and led to their divorce.

Prior to his marriage to Kelly, Zac was previously married to ex-wife Shelly for 12 years. Through that union, the former couple had two children, a son and a daughter.

After getting engaged in December 2022, Zac and Kelly (who was a prior employee of the Zac Brown Band) officially tied the knot the following year in August 2023; however, just four months later in December 2023, the two announced they were getting divorced, according to PEOPLE.

"We are in the process of divorce,” they said in a joint statement. “Our mutual respect for one another remains. We wish each other the best and will always appreciate our time together. As we navigate this personal matter, we simply request privacy during this time.”

Things between the estranged couple turned messy in May 2024 when Kelly took to social media to accuse Zac of "narcissistic abuse.” He responded to the claims she posted on Instagram by filing a temporary restraining order against her.

"After much deliberation, I took the steps necessary to enforce an agreement between us to maintain personal and business affairs in confidence and to protect my family from online harassment and speculation," Zac told PEOPLE in an exclusive statement. "My only hope is for us to keep private matters private and to move forward with the mutual respect we had agreed to show one another when we parted ways."

After being served with the restraining order, which alleged that she violated an employee and confidentiality agreement, Kelly took to Instagram to slam Zac and implied that he was using his power and influence in an attempt to silence her.

"No one — not even Zac Brown with all of his money, power, celebrity, and lawyers – may silence my right to freely express myself through art or, although I have to date declined to do so publicly, to speak about the circumstances of our pending divorce," her message read at the time.

"I intend to respond swiftly and robustly to his meritless complaint that publication of two poems on my personal social media account divulged any ‘confidential information’ about his business, much less authorizes a court to enjoin me from speaking about matters in my personal life that have nothing to do with my brief former work for the Zac Brown Collective, Inc,” Kelly continued.

Zac and Shelly, who married in 2006, released a joint statement after announcing their divorce, noting that it was a "difficult decision."

“We feel blessed to be on such an incredible journey in life and sometimes the journey begins to lead in different directions. It is with deep love and respect that we announce we are separating as a couple,” the statement said, per PEOPLE.

“This was a difficult decision, but we’ve done plenty of tough things together and this is our next venture — love, mutual respect, and care for each other are what we are moving forward with," the statement concluded.

On July 24, via an exclusive with PEOPLE, Zac and jewelry designer Kendra Scott officially announced their engagement after months of dating. The couple made their red carpet debut in May 2025 at the American Music Awards.

The pair told the outlet about their relationship, saying via statement, "We are so happy and grateful that we found each other." Per an inside source, Zac and Kendra "were set up by a mutual friend, and are totally in love."