Jana Kramer has built such a loyal following from her singing and acting career. But over time, fans of the country crooner, 37, have become interested in her love life. Jana has been through a lot when it comes to her past relationships. With the latest news that Jana and her husband of roughly six years, Michael Caussin, are splitting up, let’s take a look at Jana’s past romances with this comprehensive breakdown of her previous relationships.
Michael Gambino
Jana’s first marriage was to Michael Gambino, who she married in 2004. The former couple’s marriage did not last long, as Jana filed for divorce just months after they wed. Jana is a survivor of domestic abuse from her first marriage, and has bravely spoken about what she endured when she was with Michael, who was convicted on attempted murder charges in 2005.
“I met Mike when I was 19 at a Coffee Bean in L.A. He was a smooth-talker, very charming, intriguing and obviously older,” Jana told People in 2020. “At the time, I liked that. I felt protected.” The two married after only two weeks of dating in 2004, and Michael became increasingly abusive.
Jana described to the outlet how “he’d come home at 3 o’clock in the morning and pick me up out of bed, throw me onto the ground and start yelling and hitting.” Jana would often use makeup to hide her bruises from her family, per People. “When I said, ‘I can’t do this anymore’ he sent me a photo of my dogs on the freeway and said, ‘I’m going to let them go if you don’t come home,’” she disclosed. “He’d kick me out of the house, I’d sleep in the car and then that next morning I’d be with him in bed again.”
In August 2005, Michael strangled Jana to the point where she became unconscious and he left her on the gravel outside of her Los Angeles home. “I remember praying that night, ‘Please, just take me away, I don’t want to be here anymore,'” Jana recalled. Michael was arrested and convicted on attempted murder charges and was sentenced to six years in prison. He was released in 2010 and committed suicide two years later.
For more information or to seek help for domestic violence, contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline 24/7 at 1-800-799-SAFE or go to thehotline.org.
Johnathan Schaech
In the years following their divorce, Johnathan opened up about his failed marriage. “Jana and I had a wedding but we were never married. It simply came down to this: She wasn’t ready to be married,” Michael explained in response to a fan question during a Reddit AMA, per People. “She wanted a singing career and that was what she was focused on.”
Brantley Gilbert
In the years following their split, Jana admitted that she just wasn’t in the right place in her life during their relationship. “I’m really sorry for the person that I was,” she said during the April 19, 2020, episode of her podcast Whine Down with Jana Kramer and Michael Caussin. Jana further explained that she “wasn’t the best version of myself in that relationship. I just wasn’t. I always have a little bit of regret that I didn’t handle things better.”
Scott Eastwood
Michael Caussin
Just months after welcoming Jolie into the world, Jana and Mike separated in August 2016. During that time, Mike actually filed for divorce from Jana, but he eventually went into rehab to deal with sex addiction, which the couple have since discussed as part of the root cause of his infidelity. The two eventually reconciled and renewed their wedding vows in December 2017.
Everything appeared to have settled for Jana and Mike, who welcomed their son, Jace Joseph Caussin, on November 29, 2018. The two co-authored the book The Good Fight together, which detailed how they were fighting for their marriage. “When there’s infidelity in a relationship, it’s not like you just stop talking about it. Trust me, I wish we could stop talking about it. It’s not like we bring it up every day, but there are triggers and triggers will always be there,” Jana shared on HollywoodLife‘s podcast in October 2020, one month after the book’s release.
“Now the weight isn’t as heavy, but I’ll still get triggered if something happens, or if maybe there’s a small lie, because it was a traumatic event in our relationship.” Less than one year after the book came out, Jana took to Instagram on April 21, 2021, and revealed that she made the decision to end their marriage for good.
“Please know that I still believe whole heartedly in marriage, love, and rebuilding,” an excerpt from her Instagram announcement read. “I just can’t fight any longer. It’s time to heal. Thank you for all the love, heart, and support, in many ways you have fought on this journey alongside me, and for that I am grateful. I’ll always encourage you to continue the good fight, but you can’t fight it alone.”