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All About Thomas Rhett's Beautiful Marriage to Wife Lauren Akins & Their 4 Kids
The pair met in elementary school and now have four children together.
The Season 25 Finale of The Voice will be a star-studded affair, and not just because there will be a new star when the winner is crowned; there will also be a bunch of popular musicians giving special guest performances. Country singer Thomas Rhett will be among them, as he’ll perform on the second night of the two-night Finale, Tuesday, May 21. It’s not Rhett’s first time on The Voice, as he appeared as an advisor to Kelly Clarkson’s team back in Season 15.
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Fans of Rhett are no doubt familiar with his wife, Lauren Akins. She probably won’t be in the audience at the Hollywood studio where The Voice is filmed, but odds are good that Akins and the couple’s four children will be watching at home. Here’s everything you need to know about Rhett and Akins’ relationship.
Thomas Rhett and Lauren Akins Met in First Grade
Thomas Rhett Akins Jr. and Lauren Akins (née Gregory), who are both 34 years old, met in the ‘90s when they were in the same first-grade class at the elementary school they both attended in their native Nashville. However, Rhett and Akins weren’t especially close when they were 6. It wasn’t until sixth grade, when they met at a summer camp, that Rhett fell for Akins. As he told British GQ, "Even though the feeling was not reciprocated in the sixth grade, I already knew I was in love with her. I know that sounds unbelievable, but it's true."
The pair dated for six months in high school when they were 15, and remained close friends after breaking up. In 2011, at Akins’ sister’s graduation party, Rhett gave their romance one final try.
“I’d loved that girl since high school, and I told her father how I felt. He said, ‘If you don’t tell her, I’m going to,’” he told People. “It was a total Ryan Gosling moment. I said to her, ‘I just want to kiss you one time. If you don’t feel anything, we can go back to being friends.'”
"That one moment, that one kiss on my parents' front porch, changed everything,” Akins wrote of the moment in her book Live in Love: Growing Together Through Life's Changes, which was published in 2020.
Rhett proposed six months later, and they were married on October 12, 2012.
Rhett has written songs about his relationship with Akins, including “Die a Happy Man” and “Madly in Love.” The pair frequently post about their family and relationship on social media, with Rhett recently posting something sweet for Mother’s Day.
Thomas Rhett and Lauren Akins Have Four Children
In 2016, Rhett and Akins began the adoption process, traveling to Uganda several times to get to know the girl they would eventually adopt. During this time, they also announced that they had a surprise pregnancy. They finalized the adoption of Willa Gray in May 2017, and Akins gave birth to Ada James three months later, in August.
During this time, Rhett and Akins went through marriage counseling, successfully overcoming issues that arose in their relationship while he was on tour and she was dealing more directly with the adoption process and pregnancy.
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"Coming on the other side of that, I feel like I learned so much from that experience,” Rhett told People. “It made me know that, in a marriage, you do have to figure stuff out. You have to talk about it. You've gotta be real about it. You've gotta be honest about it."
Akins has since given birth to two more daughters: Lennon Love in February 2020 and Lillie Carolina in November 2021. They told People they plan on adopting again.
Thomas Rhett performed "Beautiful as You" on The Voice Season 25 Finale
Sitting atop a pickup truck, Thomas Rhett performed the upbeat track with a casual but electric energy. He looked as handsome as ever in a jean jacket, white shirt, and dark green pants. He ended his performance by saying sweetly, "I love you, Reba!"
The two-part Season 25 Finale of The Voice airs Monday and Tuesday at 9/8c on NBC and streams next day on Peacock.
