Michelle Branch and The Black Keys drummer Patrick Carney have called off their divorce, at least for now. The two paused their divorce proceedings for at least six months as they try to reconcile, according to new legal documents obtained by TMZ this week. Branch, 39, announced her separation from Carney, 42, on Aug. 11 and she filed for divorce a few days later. Branch was also arrested for suspected domestic assault on Aug. 11, but the case was dropped.
After at least six months, Branch and Carney will decide if they want to completely call off the divorce or move forward. The two may go back to living together as they attend marriage counseling sessions, according to the documents. Branch cited “irreconcilable differences” as the reason for their split.
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On Aug. 11, Branch told TMZ she and Carney were separating. “To say that I am totally devastated doesn’t even come close to describing how I feel for myself and for my family,” she said in a statement. “The rug has been completely pulled from underneath me and now I must figure out how to move forward. With such small children, I ask for privacy and kindness.”
Branch released her statement a day after she tweeted a note accusing Carney of cheating, which she later deleted. Hours before the statement was published, Branch was arrested at the couple’s home in Nashville for a possible domestic disturbance. Branch reportedly admitted to slapping Carney in the case. She was taken into custody and released on $1,000 bail because she is breastfeeding their daughter, 6-month-old Willie Jacquet. Nashville prosecutors later decided against taking the case further, TMZ reported on Aug. 24.
Branch and Carney met in 2015 and the “All You Wanted” singer moved into Carney’s Nashville home two years later. They welcomed their son Rhys James in August 2018 and daughter Willie in February. They married in April 2019. Branch was previously married to Teddy Landau, with whom she shares 17-year-old daughter Owen Isabelle. Branch will release her new album, The Trouble With Fever, on Friday and started a tour supporting the record this week.
The closest Branch came to publicly comment on her situation with Carney came on Aug. 14 when she celebrated the 21st anniversary of her album The Spirit Room. “You’re legally allowed to drink and listen to it now,” she wrote, alongside old photos of herself. “Oh, the things I could tell this girl. I’m overwhelmed by the support.”
