Jason Isbell Files For Divorce From Amanda Shires

Jason Isbell has filed for divorce from Amanda Shires.

The 45-year-old singer submitted paperwork to officially end his marriage to his fellow country artist on 15 December, two months before they would have celebrated their 11th wedding anniversary, People magazine reports.

The couple - who have daughter Mercy, eight, together - have been open about their marriage struggles in the past, with the tensions between them highlighted in 2023 documentary 'Running With Our Eyes Closed', which featured a scene in which Amanda read an email she'd sent her husband about potentially seeking marriage counselling.

And Amanda - who plays fiddle and provides backing vocals for Jason's band the 400 Unit, while he plays guitar for her supergroup The Highwomen - previously told People magazine in 2022: “It doesn’t matter if you’re a quasi-famous person like Jason or me, everybody’s relationships are the same; there’s up and downs and there’s good and bad and you just try to deal with it.

"Life’s not easy, marriage isn’t easy, but aren’t we lucky to be able to live?”

Amanda - who briefly moved into a hotel for 10 days in 2020 before reconciling with her spouse - admitted the "disconnect" in her relationship during the COVID-19 pandemic had inspired her 2022 song 'Fault Lines'.

She told Nashville Scene: “All of us have had turmoil within our respective marriages, and it was definitely coming from a place of vulnerability.

“In one word, that’s how I would describe how I picked every song for the record. You have the choice to be vulnerable or not. However you handle yourself, it’s all about choice.”

Meanwhile Jason admitted in 2020 the pressures of making his solo album 'Reunions' had caused him to push everyone away, including his wife.

He told the New York Times newspaper at the time: “At one point, I said, ‘It’d be easier if somebody had cheated.’ Then we could say, ‘You did this,’ or ‘I did this,' and ‘Somebody needs to be real sorry.'

“But it was more like, ‘We don’t know each other right now. We’re not able to speak the same language.’”