Why Garth Brooks Declined His Wife Trisha Yearwood's Offer To Take His Surname

Garth Brooks recently revealed he ignored convention by rejecting his wife, Trisha Yearwood's offer to take his surname. Brooks explained why he left her proposal to take his surname by saying, "Tradition doesn't count here."

During another interview, he teased the revival of Chris Gaines, his rock star alter ego from a 1999 album. The singer was also recently under a boycott threat after he served the controversial Bud Light at his bar. 

Keep on reading to learn more.

Garth Brooks recently had a press conference for the launch of his radio station with TuneIn Radio in Nashville.

During the conference, the country music star revealed that his wife, Trisha Yearwood, made him an offer to take his surname after 17 years of being married. However, he turned it down.

According to Today, who reported the conference, Yearwood offered Brooks the gesture for their 17th wedding anniversary. Brooks reportedly said, "(Yearwood) was sweet enough for our anniversary last year to have the documents where her official last name was Brooks. I declined it."

Brooks explained his decision to turn down Yearwood by saying that "Tradition doesn't count" in his family. He explained that Yearwood is his wife's family name and that her father only had two daughters, so he'd "be fine changing my name to Yearwood."

He said, "Tradition doesn't count here. What counts is when you have two celebrities, don't have one swallow the other." Later in the conference, Brooks also spoke about wanting a women-focused radio station called "BABE," which Yearwood could participate in. He said, "It's the badass b**ches of entertainment. I'd love to see her heavily involved in that channel."

Brooks popped the question to Yearwood in 2005, but they'd met and collaborated almost two decades before. The couple eventually married in December of that year in an intimate wedding at their Oklahoma home, with just their family and friends.

According to Insider, Brooks came under fire from his fans for his statement about serving "every brand of beer" at his bar. This move was controversial because Brooks included the Bud Light beer, which conservatives have heavily criticized for its recent collaboration with trans celebrity Dylan Mulvaney.

The collaboration triggered a boycott of Bud Light both online and in person. One such show of anger against the brand was a video by singer and MAGA figure Kid Rock. Rock filmed himself shooting Bud Light bottles to show his disdain for its collab with Mulvaney.

Despite fans' intense calls for a boycott against Brooks and his bar, the singer has stood his ground. The "Friends in Low Places" singer also encouraged people to check out the new bar with "an open mind." He recently spoke to Entertainment Tonight about the boycott threats against him.

Brooks said, "I think if you know Garth Brooks, no matter how long you've known him, [he's] always been inclusive. We're going to need each other, trust me. So I think that [regarding] diversity, inclusiveness, I think what you find is our differences are our greatest strengths."

During an interview with Billboard Country Live at Nashville's CMA Fest, the "If Tomorrow Never Comes" singer spoke about his upcoming music projects and teased the revival of Chris Gaines, his rock star alter ego from his infamous 1999 album.

He said, "The Gaines project was a lot of time put in — because it's not natural, you're acting on a record — but I want to do it simply for people who love the Gaines project," the country music legend stated. 

"And selfishly, I love the Chris Gaines record, so I want to do it for me. It challenged me as a vocalist. So I don't know when we'll get to it, but it's on the list."

According to People magazine, Brooks created his Chris Gaines character in 1999 for his album, "Garth Brooks...in the Life of Chris Gaines." The album peaked at number 2 on the Billboard Hot 200 chart and produced Brooks' first ever top 40 hit song on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.