In May 2011, Scotty McCreery—a country singer from North Carolina whose rich vocals far belied his 17 years—became the youngest male winner of the popular singing competition reality show American Idol. Fourteen years and six albums later, the now 32-year-old recently scored his seventh No. 1 hit with the Hootie and the Blowfish collab “Bottle Rockets.” Now a seasoned performer, McCreery has taken notes on what to do when interacting with fans—and what not to do.
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Scotty McCreery Recalls “Awkward” Proposal
In recent years, country music concerts have become a popular destination for marriage proposals. After all, what’s more romantic than popping the question with your favorite artist watching from the stage? However, Scotty McCreery has seen these situations sour quickly.
“I was all about it until I did one proposal in a meet and greet,” the American Idol season 10 champ recalled in a video shared to social media on Friday, Oct. 10. “It was years ago. Me and Mike [Childers, McCreery’s tour manager] were sitting there in front of everybody in a meet-and-greet. He gets down on one knee, she just says no.”
It was pretty awkward 😬 pic.twitter.com/dbnVdI3JDM
— Scotty McCreery (@ScottyMcCreery) October 10, 2025
Unsure how to handle such an uncomfortable situation, McCreery said he told the couple, “Y’all enjoy the show tonight.” Awkward.
“So I don’t do the proposal thing anymore,” he concluded.
[RELATED: Scotty McCreery Reveals How His New EP Is “Different” from His Past Releases (Exclusive)]
‘American Idol’ Star Welcomes Second Child With His Wife
Fortunately, Scotty McCreery no longer has to consider the possibility of being publicly turned down, as he married wife Gabi in 2018. Nearly three years fter welcoming their first son, Maverick Avery, in October 2022, the couple celebrated the birth of their second, Oliver Cooke McCreery, on Sept. 18.
“Can’t imagine life without him, we love him so berry much!” the couple wrote on social media.
Ahead of Oliver’s birth, the American Idol winner shared big brother Avery’s humorous name suggestion.
“Being from the Carolinas, we love our Bojangles,” McCreery said. “And he got locked in on a name: Bo Berry McCreery. That’s what he wants his little brother to be named. We’re trying to tell him, like, ‘Buddy, we don’t think that’s gonna happen.’ And he’s like ‘No, I want Bo Berry.’”
Hopefully Avery has come to terms with his disappointment and is enjoying his new elder-brother status.
Featured image by Jason Kempin/Getty Images for ABA
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