Zac Brown has found himself knee deep in a public divorce.
The country singer and his estranged wife, Kelly Yazdi, announced in December 2023 that they were separating after four months of marriage.
“We are in the process of divorce. Our mutual respect for one another remains,” the pair shared in a statement to TMZ. “We wish each other the best and will always appreciate our time together. As we navigate this personal matter, we simply request privacy during this time.”
While the pair put on a united front at the time of their breakup, things began to take a dramatic turn with Brown, 45, filing a lawsuit against Yazdi, 33, in May 2024. She later called it a “meritless complaint.”
As their split continues to play out in the public eye, Us Weekly is breaking down everything you need to know below:
How Did Zac and Kelly’s Love Story Begin?
While it’s unclear when the private pair started dating, Yazdi made a brief appearance in a Zac Brown Brand social media post when it was time to celebrate Brown’s birthday in July 2022.
According to People, Brown proposed to Yazdi during a 2022 trip to Hawaii. They enjoyed a year-long engagement before marrying at a private ceremony in Georgia in August 2023.
Why Did Zac File a Temporary Restraining Order Against Kelly?
On May 17, 2024, Brown filed a lawsuit against his estranged wife, demanding she take down an Instagram post. According to the Zac Brown Band frontman, Yazdi’s post allegedly broke a confidentiality agreement that she signed during their relationship. In court documents obtained by NBC News, Brown is seeking an emergency temporary restraining order that would compel her to take down the social media post.
“After much deliberation, I took the steps necessary to enforce an agreement between us to maintain personal and business affairs in confidence and to protect my family from online harassment and speculation,” Brown told Us Weekly in a statement. “My only hope is for us to keep private matters private and to move forward with the mutual respect we had agreed to show one another when we parted ways.”
How Did Kelly Respond to the Lawsuit?
Yazdi reacted to Brown’s lawsuit with a lengthy social media message. “No one — not even Zac Brown with all of his money, power, celebrity, and lawyers may silence my right to freely express myself through art or, although I have to date declined to do so publicly, to speak about the circumstances of our pending divorce,” she wrote via Instagram on May 20, 2024. “I intend to respond swiftly and robustly to his meritless complaint that [the] publication of two poems on my personal social media account divulged any ‘confidential information’ about his business, much less authorizes a court to enjoin me from speaking about matters in my personal life that have nothing to do with my brief former work for the Zac Brown Collective, Inc.”
Confidentiality Dispute
Brown accused Yazdi of stealing “confidential information” belonging to the Zac Brown Collective (ZBC), according to court documents obtained by Us. In the July filing, the musician alleged that Yazdi knew “full well that she would soon be” leaving the business when she reportedly obtained the information.
His legal team claimed that Yazdi took the alleged action “in an apparent attempt to gain leverage” over Brown in their divorce proceedings. “Ms. Yazdi stole documents concerning a yet-to-be-revealed song Mr. Brown was preparing with another artist,” the docs claimed. “She stole documents concerning Mr. Brown’s and ZBC’s financials, business valuations and other highly sensitive information she had no right to take and no legitimate reason for possessing.”
Brown is seeking “injunctive relief and damages arising” from Yazdi for “blatant violations of the confidentiality obligations” she allegedly owed him as a one-time employee of ZBC. (Yazdi was employed by ZBC from August 2022 to February 2024.)
Yazdi claimed in a filing of her own that not all aspects of her employee agreement with Brown were valid and binding.
The Way They Split
Yazdi spoke out via Instagram on August 8 about her and Brown’s ongoing divorce, claiming that she was quiet on social media out of “fear that anything I publish will result in more legal claims being brought against me to suppress my freedom of speech.”
She claimed that Brown asked for a divorce via Zoom, which she said was a shock. A source exclusively told Us, “Kelly’s assertion that Zac told her unexpectedly over Zoom that he wanted a divorce is inaccurate.” The insider claimed, “Zac told her he wanted a divorce in person the night before Thanksgiving at his home in Georgia.”
A second source close to Brown’s family told Us that things took another turn in January 2024. The insider claimed that Yazdi “showed up unannounced” at Brown’s house in Georgia days after he filed for divorce. Yazdi allegedly evaded security cameras “by parking her car out of sight and venturing through the woods.”
A second source claimed that Yazdi “still holds possession of [Brown’s] car and refuses to return it.”
Yazdi’s lawyers told Us in an August statement that it’s “logical” to infer that the allegations about their client’s alleged January actions “come from within [Brown’s] camp.” Yazdi’s attorneys alleged that the claims are “a designed PR effort launched as soon as Kelly broke her silence” in order to “intimidate her.”
The Music Video
Yazdi alleged that soon after their split, Brown used footage from their 2023 nuptials for his “Beautiful Drug (feat. Avicii) — Remix” music video without permission. Yazdi said that she was “replaced in the video with a look-alike model” who represented her in a “false” light by acting out taking drugs and drinking alcohol.
When it comes to the model used in the music video, Us Weekly learned that the footage was shot in August 2018 by Zac Brown Band’s creative director, before Brown even met Yazdi.
Kelly Speaks Out Once Again
Yazdi gave fans an “update” via social media on August 12, telling her followers she wanted to “defend myself” after being hassled for her earlier August post.
“In my video statement I released on August 8th, I began with expressing my concern that there would be retaliation once I spoke publicly. And I was right,” she said. “Sadly, but predictably, less than 24 hours later (on August 9th) I was asked to comment on an article in which unnamed ‘sources’ from Zac Brown ’s camp attacked my character. This, of course, occurred as soon as I broke my silence.”
Yazdi continued, “My attorneys released a statement that same day calling this effort exactly what it is — a public smear campaign to hurt and silence me, and an effort to broadcast a false narrative to intimidate me and influence public opinion.”
She explained that after Brown’s camp allegedly tried to silence her, his friend Jake Nodar slammed her online in a “disturbing video.” Nodar shared an Instagram video August 9, claiming that “Kelly would spend thousands a month” and when she had to “fly commercial” she was “not happy.”
He also commented on her body, her wardrobe and said she was “controlling” and “mean” throughout her marriage to Brown.
“Jake’s statement is sexist, defamatory, body shaming, misogynistic, and reminiscent of an adolescent smearing his friend’s ex,” Yazdi said in response. “It is curious why Jake is commenting on private and legal matters that do not involve him — perhaps it is a calculated effort to gain fame and ride the coattails of his celebrity friend. But whatever his motive, it is disturbing for a grown man to engage in childish and false commentary.”
She concluded by saying she will “not stop” speaking her truth, reminding her fans that “the truth is in the evidence.”
Was Zac Previously Married?
Before starting a relationship with Yazdi, Brown was married to first wife Shelly Brown for 12 years. The couple — who share five children — confirmed their 2018 split in a statement to Us Weekly.
“We feel blessed to be on such an incredible journey in life and sometimes the journey begins to lead in different directions. It is with deep love and respect that we announce we are separating as a couple,” the exes shared at the time. “We have led a whirlwind life together growing into a beautiful family with five amazing children and while life will be rearranging a bit, our love and commitment to our family will always be there. This was a difficult decision, but we’ve done plenty of tough things together and this is our next venture — love, mutual respect, and care for each other are what we are moving forward with.”
The statement concluded, “Family comes in all different forms. We would like to ask that rather than commenting or spending any energy towards this, that you take this moment to send love to your family, in honor of ours.”