Lady A’s Charles Kelley Calls Fame A Drug Amid Sobriety Journey

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Jennifer Havener

Jennifer Havener grew up in a small town in Upstate New York. She earned her B.A in Writing & Literature from Naropa University in Boulder, Colorado. She always knew watching reality TV shows and soap operas, particularly 'Days of Our Lives', would come in handy someday. When she's not writing, she's playing with her dogs, Lola and Ruger

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• Lady A’s Charles Kelley Calls Fame A Drug Amid Sobriety Journey - November 16, 2024
• Zach Bryan Adds Popular Rock Band To ‘Last’ Tour Ever - November 15, 2024
• Blake Shelton Teams Up With Kid Rock For ‘Non-Woke’ Tour? - November 14, 2024

Lady A singer Charles Kelley has had a very public battle with addiction. The band postponed a tour so he could get sober. In a new interview, he compared fame to a drug. Keep reading for the latest on his sobriety journey.

Lady A’s Charles Kelley Calls Fame A Drug Amid Sobriety Journey

Charles Kelley is a founding member and vocalist for the band Lady A, previously known as Lady Antebellum. He has been extraordinary candid about his sober journey after a very public battle with addiction. The singer is the center of a recent episode of the Hulu doc It’s All Country.

“Success is a double-edged sword, for sure. You know, once you know what it feels like, and once you’ve been out there, it’s a drug in itself.”

The singer added, “There is a lot of doubt that can come in and there’s just a lot of, I think, keeping your ego in check. I had to come back from treatment.” 

Addiction Almost Cost His Marriage

Charles Kelley has been married to Cassie McConnell Kelley since 2009. They share one child together, a son named Ward Charles Kelley. However, the Lady A singer’s addiction nearly ended their marriage. He previously said that his wife had plans to divorce him before he went to rehab.

The couple did a joint interview with CBS Mornings in 2023. Cassie McConnell Kelley recounted what she was told while he was in rehab. “When he was in rehab and I went out there for family week, one of the first messages you receive is, ‘You’re gonna have to do just as much work here.’ And I remember being so mad,” she said.

She continued, “Like, you did this. And now I have to do all of this work too? But … it affects every person in that family system. So I could’ve chosen not to do the work, but then I have to live with the way that I’ve been affected and unhealed.”

Luckily the two came out stronger than ever.

Credits Lady A Bandmates For Sobriety

Charles Kelley’s Lady A bandmates, Hillary Scott and Dave Haywood, also stood by him through his stint in rehab. They were forced to postpone a 2022 tour so he could get the help he needed.

He said in the Hulu doc that he couldn’t have gotten sober without them. “Dave and Hillary were such good friends throughout this whole journey. And thank God, I felt like I was given this second lease on my career and my marriage.”

Do you agree with Charles Kelley that fame is a drug? Sound off in the comments.