New information has come out about the breakup of the popular country duo, Florida Georgia Line, made up of Tyler Hubbard and Brian Kelley. Both of them appeared on different episodes of the “Bussin’ With the Boys” podcast with Will Compton and Taylor Lewan to share what happened between them and what led to their split.

The duo’s final performance together was in September 2022 at the Minnesota State Fair, though rumors about their breakup had been around for a while. In February 2022, Hubbard told People Magazine that they were “taking a break” instead of breaking up.

A few months later, Hubbard confirmed they had split, saying Kelley had decided to go solo, and there was “no bad blood between the two of them.”

It was recently announced that FGL House, the Broadway bar they opened in 2017, would be closing to make room for Lainey Wilson’s “Bell Bottoms Up.” As reported earlier by The Tennessean, Florida Georgia Line was one of the first acts to open a venue on Lower Broadway after their success.

Throughout their career, Florida Georgia Line released several albums that earned millions in sales, achieved many No. 1 singles, and released the first country song to earn the Diamond (10 million sales) certification with “Cruise.”

The “Bussin’ With the Boys” podcast episode featuring Hubbard was released on May 7. He once again confirmed that the “unexpected” breakup was started by Kelley.

“BK came to me and said, ‘Man I’m really feeling like I want to do the solo thing,’ and I’m like really?” Hubbard said. “We were just getting out of our first deal, we were kind of in a sweet spot that we had worked for 10 years to get to.”

Hubbard said he wanted to continue as Florida Georgia Line for another five to 10 years, but Kelley was firm in his decision, saying it was something he needed to do for himself. Although Hubbard was surprised by his bandmate’s decision, he supported him.

“We’ve had an incredible ride, this is where it’s going to go,” Hubbard said. “Let’s do it and crush it and you never know, maybe it’ll bring us back together and we can have a reunion tour or whatever.”

For Hubbard, Kelley’s decision wasn’t expected because it had never been talked about before, but it came at an unexpected time. Hubbard said that for a while, he questioned Kelley’s decision.

“Honestly it Felt like a Divorce”

“I feel like I’m not enough for you … honestly it felt like a divorce,” Hubbard said. According to Hubbard, Kelley wanted to continue as Florida Georgia Line while also pursuing a solo career. Hubbard refused.

“Bro from an emotional standpoint, I know this is dramatic but this is what it feels like,” Hubbard said. “It feels like we’re in a marriage and everything’s great and we love the benefits but you want to go sleep with the neighbors and come home at night and me be cool with it.”

Hubbard said he didn’t understand how they could continue as both a duo and solo artists, either emotionally or practically. Talks with therapists and weeks of healing followed, and the duo eventually split.

At first, Hubbard thought the change would allow him to focus on his family and songwriting. But after a year, he missed making records and touring, he said. After meeting with his manager and feeling supported in his decision to go solo, Hubbard decided to “dive back into it.”

“We were just young, dumb and on a mission and learning as we were going,” Hubbard said about the early years as Florida Georgia Line. Now, Hubbard says he can rebuild from that foundation with more maturity, gratitude, and humility.

Looking back, Hubbard said he’s thankful for the journey and where it led both him and Kelley. At the end of the day, he’s thankful that Kelley started the breakup.

The podcast episode featuring Kelley was released on May 9. Kelley said his choice to go solo wasn’t a surprise because the plan had already been set years before. According to Kelley, the idea of having extra creative outlets was discussed in 2016 and every two years after that.

Kelley mentioned that the duo had agreed that after their fifth record, they would create more freedom for themselves while still keeping Florida Georgia Line going. He felt it was important for him to continue honoring his craft, artistry, and songwriting, and he had expressed those thoughts for a long time.

Kelley called Hubbard a great songwriter

This is was what made their team successful. Kelley’s plan was to keep Florida Georgia Line going while they both pursued solo careers under the same umbrella. He said nothing would change.

“We were trailblazers and I was a part of that, you know,” he said. “I had an idea that when our deal came up … Tyler would get a solo deal under the same label, I would get a record deal and then we would renegotiate a new record deal.”

“I wanted to do it all, I didn’t think that was out of bounds,” he added.

Kelley compared their situation to Lady A, where band members were active both as soloists and as a group. He believed it was possible to keep honoring what they had built while continuing as a duo. Kelley said the decision was not a simple one, but part of a very planned and thought-out approach to keep moving forward together.

Kelley said he thought a lot about what that could look like. He wrote detailed plans and believed that business and creativity didn’t need to be emotional.

“What we had and what we built in a short amount of time, people would give their entire lives for. Some people never get to that place so I don’t ever want to downplay the success and everything that we built. It means a lot to me, it still does,” said Kelley. “It’s very important.”

“We had magic, amazing fans, we went on a hell of a ride. I’m forever grateful for that and just what a time.”