Thomas Rhett’s family has been in the spotlight since he was young. And that comes as no surprise since he is the son of Rhett Akins, the award-winning country music artist, and singer of the 1995 summer sensation “That Ain’t My Truck.” Thomas Rhett grew up with his music and the stage with the added perk of knowing country music artists like Tim McGraw, Brooks & Dunn, and many more.
And music definitely runs in the blood. Now, Thomas Rhett is one of the most popular country music artists of his time. The Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter has an impressive collection of song credits and hits just like “It Goes Like This,” “Make Me Wanna,” and “Die A Happy Man” under his belt.
Let’s get to know more about this amazing man who has had his fans swooning since day one and the rest of his family.
Who is Thomas Rhett?
Thomas Rhett Akins Jr. or more popularly known as Thomas Rhett, is an American country music singer-songwriter. He was born on March 30, 1990 in Valdosta, Georgia to parents Rhett Akins and Paige Lankford (née Braswell). He has one younger sister named Kasey Akins, and they both grew up in Nashville.
His parents got divorced when he was only 9 (and then they remarried, gaining Thomas Rhett a half-brother from each side). And the main reason for the divorce was his father’s music career. While he promised his mother that he will not go the same path, he still shared his father’s passion in music. By the time he was in junior high, he had already learned how to play the drums and would go onstage with his father. When he entered high school, he became part of the band ‘The High Heeled Flip Flops.’
Then Thomas Rhett went to attend David Lipscomb University to study communications. But soon enough, he knew his heart was still with music. So he broke his promise to his mother (but she still supported him) and gave up his studies at 20 to pursue a music career.
He started playing at clubs and frat parties. And then he also started writing songs for different artists like Jason Aldean’s “I Ain’t Ready to Quit,” Florida Georgia Line’s “Round Here,” Scotty McCreery’s “Write Your Number on My Hand,” and Lee Brice “Parking Lot Party.”
He signed his record deal in 2011 with ‘Valory Music Group,’ a division of ‘Big Machine Records’ and released his debut single “Something to Do with My Hands” in 2012. And in 2013, his debut album “It Goes Like This” was released, and it peaked at number 6 on the Billboard charts. Not only that, five singles from this album reached number 1 on Country Airplay, propelling him to fame.
In a span of almost a decade in the industry, he has already released five albums and earned nominations and awards like ‘Male Vocalist of the Year’ at the ‘2017 Academy of Country Music Awards.’
Since then, he has received so much love from fans and is now considered one of the most successful country music artists. His net worth is now estimated at $5 million.
Who is Thomas Rhett’s wife, Lauren Akins?
Thomas Rhett has not only been successful in the country music arena but also in love. He married his childhood sweetheart in 2012, which was when he launched his own career. And in true country music style, a lot of Thomas Rhett songs were inspired by her, and one of the most notable was “Die A Happy Man.”
Lauren Akins or previously known as Lauren Gregory, was born on November 8, 1989 in Tennessee. She grew up in Madison, a suburban neighborhood in northeast Nashville, along with her two siblings Grayson and Macy.
She attended Goodpasture Christian school during elementary (until high school, as reported by other sources). Then she continued her studies at the University of Tennessee where she graduated with a degree in Nursing.
After graduating, she started working for charity-based organizations like Love One International (a faith-based non-profit which was formerly known as 147 Million Orphans), extending her help to children deprived of care. She went to do medical aid work in third-world countries like Haiti, Honduras, Kenya, and Uganda. And as part of her work to help the kids and the organization, she also collaborated with Ladybird for a benefit project in 2018, which was a jewelry line with three different necklace designs.
She also published a book titled “Live in Love: Growing Together through Life’s Changes.” Lauren Akins is also a social media star with 2.4 million followers on Instagram.
Proud Girl Dad: Who are Thomas Rhett’s children?
Thomas and Lauren both attended Goodpasture Christian School in Madison, and they have known each other since first grade. At 13, they attended the same church camp together, and two years later, they started dating.
But things didn’t work out at that time, and after six months, they decided that they were better off as best friends. They dated other people after, but when Rhett heard that Lauren was single again, he told her dad that he was still in love with her. And Lauren’s dad simply told him that if he didn’t come over that night to confess his feelings, he would do it for him. So he came over, and we all know what happened – it was a fairytale ending.
They got engaged in 2011 in Lauren’s favorite restaurant. Then the couple married on October 12, 2012. And eight years together, the couple now shares three children, with a fourth one on the way.
Back in 2016, the couple had struggles conceiving a child, which led them to consider adoption. At that time, Lauren was introduced to Willa Gray, who was just a little over a year old (born on November 2, 2015) while she was working in the Ugandan orphanage. Willa was a total orphan, and she didn’t have any biological relatives. So she thought that she needed to help find her a home when Thomas Rhett told her that they should do it.
Since Ugandan law mandated that they need to foster the child for a year in Uganda before they can bring her home, they flew back and forth. During one of these trips, they found out that Lauren was pregnant with their second child. As a result, she had to cut her travels to Uganda to rest.
They welcomed Ada James on August 12, 2017 just three months after Willa arrived. And then, on February 10, 2020, they welcomed their third child Lennon Love.
All of Thomas Rhett’s kids’ names were references of other family members. For example, Willa Gray was named after Rhett’s grandfather, Willard, and Lauren’s brother, Grayson. Ada was named after Lauren’s grandmother, while the name James came from both sides of the family.
And just last May 9, 2021, Thomas Rhett revealed that they were expecting another child, and it’s another girl! And we’ll have to wait for what they’re going to name her, so stay tuned to Thomas Rhett’s Instagram.
From a couple struggling to conceive, Thomas Rhett’s family has now grown to a family of six. And Thomas Rhett is definitely enjoying being a girl dad.
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