Curious about Chris Stapleton’s wife? Here’s everything to know about Morgane Stapleton, his creative partner in life and song. ML
NEED TO KNOW
- Chris Stapleton and Morgane Stapleton first met while working near each other at neighboring music publishing companies
- They got married in 2007 and share five children
- Morgane works on music and performs with Chris
Chris Stapleton has been married to his wife Morgane Stapleton since 2007.
The couple first met in 2003 while they were working near each other as songwriters in Nashville. Since tying the knot, they’ve welcomed five children — four sons and a daughter.
They’ve continued working together over the years, with Morgane singing in Chris’ band and helping him write songs.
“Oh, we drive each other crazy once in a while,” Morgane told The Washington Post in August 2015. “But being without each other drives us even more crazy.”
So who is Chris Stapleton’s wife? Here’s everything to know about Morgane Stapleton and her relationship with the country star.
Morgane was born in 1983
Morgane Stapleton.
Morgane Stapleton/Instagram
Morgane was born to Darrell and Suzanne Hayes on Jan. 25, 1983. She was raised alongside her sister, Melissa, whom she performed with as a child.
In 2019, she shared a throwback photo of herself with Melissa on Instagram, writing, “Happy National Siblings Day to all, but especially to my baby sister!”
Chris and Morgane met through work in 2003
Morgane Stapleton and Chris Stapleton.
Morgane Stapleton/Instagram
Morgane met Chris in 2003 when they were both working as songwriters in adjacent buildings in Nashville.
In August 2015, Morgane told The Washington Post that she would sit in her friend’s office at Sea Gayle Music and wait for Chris to arrive. “We’d hear the jingle of his keys as he walked down the hall, and we knew he was coming to play us whatever new song he had written,” she recalled.
Chris asked Morgane if she’d write a song with him, and after she suggested 6 p.m. on a Friday, it became their first date.
“We didn’t get much writing done that night,” she joked.
Morgane is a singer-songwriter
Chris Stapleton and Morgane Stapleton.
Debra L Rothenberg/WireImage
When Morgane and Chris met, she was signed to Arista Nashville under her maiden name, Morgane Hayes. Although she’s recorded three albums’ worth of music, she’s never released them, she told The New York Times in May 2017.
“I broke out in hives one time — I don’t remember why,” she said. “I have an aversion to the spotlight. It’s not for everybody.”
However, Morgane has continued writing songs, collaborating with artists including Carrie Underwood, John Prine, LeAnn Rimes and Reba McEntire. She’s also been a background session vocalist on tracks by Underwood, Kellie Pickler, Lee Ann Womack and Joe Nichols.
She works with Chris on his music
Chris Stapleton and Morgane Stapleton.
John Shearer/Getty
Morgane is in her husband’s band, performing background, harmony and duet vocals. They’ve sung together a number of times throughout the years, including on Today in September 2024.
She’s also influenced some of the songs that have appeared on Chris’ albums. When they were dating, she liked the demo version of his song “Fire Away,” and she persuaded him to include it on his 2015 debut album Traveller a decade later.
“It’s a very honest song, and that’s what I love about it,” she told The Washington Post in August 2015. “It says what I feel like when I want to fight: Let’s just have at it and be real.”
Chris added, “I didn’t necessarily want to sing that old song, and now it’s one of my favorite things to play live.”
Dave Cobb, Chris’ producer, told The New York Times that Morgane is a “great litmus” and has a “huge input on what becomes the sound of the record.”
The duo have even recorded music together, releasing a cover of “You Are My Sunshine” for Cobb’s 2017 compilation album Southern Family, which explores family ties through song.
They got married in 2007
Morgane Stapleton and Chris Stapleton.
Morgane Stapleton/Instagram
Morgane and Chris got married on Oct. 27, 2007.
In December 2015, Chris told Rolling Stone that Morgane secretly engraved the words “You Are My Sunshine” inside his wedding ring before they got married. “That’s our story,” he said.
The couple often celebrate their wedding anniversary on social media. In October 2022, Chris celebrated 15 years by posting several black-and-white photos of them together and writing, “15 years. I love you more today than I ever have.”
Three years later, Chris posted a photo of Morgane and thanked her for “the best 18 years of my life.”
Chris and Morgane share five children together
Morgane Stapleton, Ada Stapleton, Wayland Stapleton and Chris Stapleton. Denise Truscello/Getty
Chris and Morgane are parents to five children — four sons and a daughter.
Their oldest son, Waylon, was born in 2009, and their daughter, Ada, was born about a year later. In 2018, they welcomed twin sons, Macon and Samuel; a year later, another son, whose name they haven’t publicly shared, was born.
While the couple sometimes shares photos of their children on Instagram, they generally keep them out of the public eye.
“I signed up for this, my children did not,” Chris told The Boot in June 2018. “I am a very private person, and in that respect, I keep my children out of it. They’re children, and they deserve the chance to be children.”
However, Chris and Morgane did take Waylon and Ada to the ACMs in March 2022. When accepting his Male Artist of the Year Award, he called Morgane “my rock” and said that everything he does “is because of her.”
In his speech, he also shouted out his children, telling the audience that Waylon had recently celebrated his 13th birthday.
Chris and Morgane live just outside Nashville
Chris Stapleton and Morgane Stapleton.
ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty
In 2017, Chris and Morgane moved to the village of Leiper’s Fork, Tenn., which is just outside of Nashville. They purchased 311 acres of land, per The Tennessean.
Two years later, Morgane opened a jewelry store, Tennessee Turquoise Co., in the town, where she sells some of her personal favorites.
They support each other’s careers
Morgane and Chris Stapleton.
Morgan Stapleton/Instagram
Morgane has always been in her husband’s corner. She was there when he won a trio of awards — New Artist of the Year, Album of the Year and Male Vocalist of the Year — at 2015’s Country Music Association (CMA) Awards.
Afterwards, she told Rolling Stone, “It’s just heavy glass, and it means a s— ton. It was a performance and three awards, and life is completely different.”
Chris always shows his love for Morgane, too. In April 2021, he thanked his wife after he won Album of the Year at the Academy of Country (ACM) Music Awards.
“We worked really hard to make music,” he said. “And we think a lot about it. It means a lot. It really does.”
After his first CMA win of the night in November 2024, he forgot to thank her, but made up for it when he accepted his second award.
“I really am taken aback. Thank you so much for this,” he said, before adding, “I owe my wife an apology. That last award also belonged to her … I really owe a lot to her, so I thank her for her support.”
Chris and Morgane founded a charity together
Chris Stapleton and Morgane Stapleton.
Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic
In 2016, the couple co-founded Outlaw State of Kind, a play on Chris’ song “Outlaw State of Mind.” On Chris’ website, it’s described as “a charitable fund that supports a variety of causes that are close to their heart.”
In 2022, the charity was involved in the Kentucky Rising benefit concert, which raised $2.9 million for flood relief in eastern Kentucky. In 2025, the fund donated $1 million amid the fires in Los Angeles and another $1 million for flood relief in Texas.
