It seems things between Sara Evans and Harry “Jay” Barker are starting to get ugly.
The country singer married the former football player in 2008, one year after she finalized her divorce from Craig Schelske. Evans and Schelske’s relationship made headlines in 2006 when she abruptly left Dancing With the Stars as her marriage crumbled amid allegations of cheating from both Evans and Schelske. The former couple, who wed in 1993, share three kids.
While navigating her divorce, the “A Little Bit Stronger” singer was introduced to Barker, who was going through a split of his own, by her marital counselor.
“He told us he’d never known two people more alike,” Evans told Birmingham magazine in 2015. “He felt we could at least be supportive friends.”
The pair connected via emails and text before hopping on the phone.
“We would get together with our kids as ‘just friends,’” the University of Alabama alum added. “Before long, they told us we should be dating.”
Barker shares four kids with his ex-wife, Amy DiGiovanna.
“She’s my biggest fan and I’m hers,” Barker gushed about Evans at the time. “As great as she is at music, she’s even better at being a mom and wife.”
The duo moved their brood to Alabama after exchanging vows.
“We are truly a family. We don’t think of it as ‘blended’; they are just our kids,” Barker told People in 2011. “But we also understand our roles. If I’m around when Sara’s kids’ father is around, I give him his place as their dad.”
Evans added, “The kids really love each other. It just works. We’re so fortunate.”
After nearly 14 years of marriage, the twosome made headlines when Barker was arrested and charged with felony aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. The booking stemmed from an alleged January 2022 incident in Nashville after he allegedly tried to hit Evans with his vehicle.
While the arrest drew attention to Evans’ August 2021 divorce petition, there were signs of trouble in the pair’s marriage. Scroll through for a timeline of their relationship:
