ACM Awards: Miranda Lambert Makes Public Debut With Husband Brendan McLoughlin

Miranda Lambert and new husband Brendan McLoughlin made their red carpet debut as a couple before the 2019 Academy of Country Music Awards Sunday.

Lambert wore a lime green dress on the red carpet, while McLoughlin was decked out in a suit with a black tie.

Once the show started, Lambert put on an all-black outfit for a brief medley of her biggest hits. Later in the show, she is set to perform with George Strait.

The “Kerosene” singer shocked fans in February when she announced her marriage to McLoughlin, a New York City Police officer.

“In honor of Valentine’s Day I wanted to share some news. I met the love of my life. And we got hitched! My heart is full. Thank you Brendan McLoughlin for loving me for…. me,” Lambert wrote, alongside photos from their late January.

Lambert was previously married to Blake Shelton for four years, before their split in 2015.

McLoughlin and Lambert reportedly met in November, when her group Pistol Annies was performing on Good Morning America in New York. That same month, McLoughlin welcomed a baby with ex-girlfriend Kaihla Rettinger and broke off an engagement with another woman.

Lambert and Shelton did not have any children during their marriage, but sources say Lambert is planning to have children with McLoughlin and was looking forward to becoming a stepmother.

“We’ve never, ever seen her so happy and think she’s finally found her one and only,” a source told Entertainment Tonight in February. “Miranda and Brendan both want kids. [She] never felt ready to have children until she met Brendan and now she’s excited to be a stepmom. She even says it’s great practice for when she has a baby.”

“Brendan makes Miranda feel grounded, centered and very safe,” the source explained. “He’s a police officer and everyone has been loving that she fell for a man in uniform. Miranda is relieved to have found someone who isn’t in the music industry. Brendan is perfect for her.”

At this year’s ACM Awards, Lambert was nominated for Female Artist of the Year and Music Event of the Year for her duet with Jason Aldean, “Drowns the Whiskey.” She is the single most-awarded artist at the ACM Awards and was honored with the 50th Anniversary Milestone Award in 2014 and the 2015 ACM Merle Haggard Spirit Award.

Photo credit: Jason Kempin/ACMA2019/Getty Images for ACM