Georgia-born Thomas Rhett and his wife Lauren Akins, a Tennessee native, might not always see eye-to-eye during college football season, as two passionate fans rooting for opposing teams. However, the sweet couple manages to remain inseparable after nostalgic college memories, the early years of their nearly 11-year marriage, Rhett’s tour schedule during football season and more.
Rhett and Akins dished about all of that and more on the latest episode of Biscuits & Jam, which debuted on Tuesday (August 15). The country music power couple sat down with Southern Living Editor-in-Chief Sid Evans for the podcast conversation, shortly after sharing their story for the publication’s September 2023 cover. The issue celebrates the Spirit of Game Day. It’s available online now and hits newsstands on Friday, August 18.
Rhett spoke on the podcast about his longtime support for the Georgia Bulldogs, and even watches the games while he’s on tour. He said that “there's definitely been nights that I can vividly remember where Georgia was playing whoever it was, and it's half-time, and you kind of go, ‘Dang, I go on stage in 15 minutes.’ You kind of are at this crossroads of just, like, ‘Do I push the show 10 minutes just to see what happens?’
“Watching games on the road can be stressful, and if the Dogs lose right before you go on stage, it can kind of set you back a little bit,” he continued. “But I love getting to watch games on the road. There's always so many football fans out there. We always set up a big TV out in the parking lot and we all cook wings, and sit and watch the games. But it's such a blast.”
Luckily, Rhett’s support for the Bulldogs — a college football rivalry between the country star and his wife — hasn’t appeared to impact his relationship with Akins overall, a marriage that has served as an example to many of their fans. Rhett shared of his sweet ballad “Angels (Don't Always Have Wings)”: “Lauren's been through the ringer with me in the van days, the bus days, and now today's days, and she's always taken my life as a champ. I say this a lot before I play the song live, but I look at Lauren sometimes and I do truly wonder every now and then if her body is completely just taken over by an angel, because it takes a lot of patience to be married to somebody like me.”