On the outside, Luke Combs has a great life. He married Nicol Hocking in 2016, has three children, and won numerous awards, such as Entertainer of the Year. Becoming a top name in country music, Combs watched as his stardom took him all over the world. And recently, he recalled a time that touring landed him in Australia. Although excited for the opportunity to take his tour internationally, the singer admitted he dreads the day his son finds out that he missed his birth.
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In June 2022, Combs and Nicole welcomed their first son. Only a few months after his birth, the couple announced their second child was on the way. A surprise to both fans and Combs, the singer had already made prior commitments to tour the world in 2023. With timing everything, the couple hoped their second child would go full term, giving Combs enough time to end the tour. But that didn’t happen.
Appearing on the Jay Shetty Podcast, Combs discussed that time of his life. “I’m in Australia when Beau is born. That’s a crushing and devastating thing. My whole identity is that, no matter what, I’m gonna prioritize my wife and my children over my job, over what I do. They’re my number one priority. I want them to know that.”
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The One Conversation Luke Combs Dreads Having
Combs couldn’t help but let those negative thoughts take over. Although regretting that moment, the singer insisted, “The tour is planned before we even find out we’re pregnant with Beau. There’s no canceling the tour. It’s sold out before we even know we’re pregnant.”
It was that single moment that changed Combs. No longer wanting to split his time between family and fame, he started to set boundaries. But not able to rewrite the past, he often worries about the day his son finds out.
“I dread the conversation with my son at some point. Obviously, he doesn’t know that. He’s two and a half. But I dread that conversation (with him saying), ‘Well dad, you made this record about being such a good dad, and then you weren’t there when I was born? But you were there for Tex and you were there Chet. Why was I the only one that you weren’t there for?’ I worry about that a lot.”
For Combs, the moment became a turning point. The accolades, sold-out arenas, and chart-topping records suddenly felt secondary to the milestones happening back home. While he can’t change where he was the day Beau was born, he can control the choices he makes moving forward. And that’s exactly what he’s doing.
(Photo by Rick Kern/Getty Images)
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