All There Is with Anderson Cooper

Episode: Eric Church on Grief, Grace, and Faith

Date: February 20, 2026
Guest: Eric Church, singer-songwriter

Episode Overview

In this deeply personal episode, Anderson Cooper sits down with country music star Eric Church to explore themes of grief, loss, healing, faith, and the ways trauma shapes who we become. Church discusses his near-fatal health scare, surviving the ripple effects of the Route 91 Harvest Festival shooting, the loss of his brother, and the constant process of coming to terms with tragedy. Their honest conversation traverses the loneliness of grief, the burden and grace of survival, and the hope for passing on more open, healthy approaches to loss—especially to their sons.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Universality and Loneliness of Grief

• [02:34] Anderson Cooper: "The thing about grief and loss to me is it feels so lonely, and yet is this bond that everybody has that we share with everybody else on the planet."
• Both Anderson and Eric reflect on how isolating grief feels despite it being a universal experience.
• Discussion is prompted by Heather Melton’s story, a previous interviewee whose husband Sonny was killed in the Las Vegas mass shooting.
  • [03:41] Heather Melton: "You have to start the second by second...You're never prepared for something like this."

The Aftermath of the Las Vegas Shooting

• [04:16] Eric Church: Describes feeling “broken” after the Route 91 shooting: "On stage was always this place that for all my life...I could go on stage…that was safe for me. ... After Vegas happened, those bullets shattered that safety and some broken me."
• Shares his proximity to the tragedy: performed at the festival two days before the attack, wondering "Why not me?"
• The trauma led Church to write the song Why Not Me just days after the shooting.
  • [10:53] Lyrics: "The Lord is my refuge, my fortress, my God with whom I trust / But I'll never know why the wicked gets to prey on the best of us."

Processing Trauma & Avoidance

• Both host and guest discuss their avoidance strategies:
  • [11:57] Eric Church: "I've always treated grief with—get as much space as you can between myself and the grief."
  • [13:16] Anderson Cooper: "I was so angry. I was so filled with rage. I used this rocket fuel...Work is the thing that I latched onto like a rocket. And it saved me until it doesn't."
• They acknowledge the cultural tendency (especially among men) to avoid talking about grief, which can lead to deeper loneliness and mental health struggles.
  • [15:40] Anderson Cooper: "I think buried grief is at the heart of so much of the loneliness that especially guys feel."

The Layered Loss: Eric’s Traumatic Year

• In one year: near-fatal blood clot, survived traumatic shooting, and lost his brother.
  • [14:57] Eric Church: "Within a year...I confronted my own mortality...then I had two kind of very traumatic events."
  • Played a show just four days after his brother's funeral, reflecting on the pressure to “keep going, keep playing.”
• Realizes, in retrospect, that not facing the pain made healing harder: "I'm not sure that was the right thing to do."

Grief in the Family – and What We Pass to Our Children

• Both Cooper and Church want to do better for their own sons, aiming to model vulnerability and honest communication about loss.
  • [18:11] Anderson Cooper: "I want to change. I want to get better because I don't want them to use the same techniques that I use."
• Eric regrets not bringing his young sons to his brother’s funeral, realizing now the benefit of communal grieving and exposure to loss.
  • [18:52] Eric Church: "Sometimes it's good for a child if they're in that age...to see everybody hurting...see what that death is, that it's a part of something."

Communal Grieving & Changing Norms

• The hosts reflect on historical and regional differences in grieving—communal wakes in the South versus today’s more “buttoned up” avoidance.
  • [20:40] Eric Church: "Times have changed a little bit...You're trying to protect your kids, but we're probably not."

Songwriting and Remembering

• Eric co-wrote “Without You Here” with his brother; the process and their music serve as connection and homage.
  • [22:14] Eric Church: "He wouldn't let me go. He said, 'No, you're not. Don't come here. I'll come to you.' ... That was an ultimate commitment."
• Feels his brother’s presence, particularly when performing certain songs.
  • [23:49] Eric Church: "There's not a night that goes by...at least there I feel him when I'm on stage."
• Regrets not showing more compassion during his brother’s struggles; wishes he had “more grace.”

The Challenge of Talking About Grief

• Both struggled for years to even speak about their brothers.
  • [31:13] Host: "But after his death, he didn't—not talk about would come up, but we didn't talk about it."
• Eric credits performing in his bar Chiefs with finally opening up, likening it to therapy.
  • [31:42] Eric Church: "I wrote a song about my brother called Church Boys...It was for me and those people in that room...And it actually helped a little bit."

New Traumas: Covenant School Shooting

• Anderson and Eric connect over the fear and powerlessness both felt after the 2023 Nashville Covenant School shooting, so near Eric’s own children.
  • [26:03] Eric Church: "Taking them to school that morning...I've never felt more helpless...I looked to my left, and I looked to my right, and there were parents down this entire line doing the same thing."

Loss, Faith, and the Changing Shape of Grief

• Eric’s faith sustains him—belief in a higher power as an anchor:
  • [34:17] Eric Church: "I'm a religious person. I have a lot of faith...I'm not sure...that I wouldn't have spun myself out of control [without it]."
• Recognizes that you eventually form a "new normal" after loss; the family unit is forever changed.
  • [16:43, 17:14] Vince Gill (via Eric Church): "[Your family is] never going to be the same...The quicker you understand that, the better you'll deal with it."
• Both reflect on how specific dates—deathdays and birthdays—carry special pain, but Eric now works to celebrate rather than dread his brother’s day.
  • [37:21] Eric Church: "Over the last few years...I could celebrate that day. He's got a daughter, and she's gotten older, and I could celebrate that day versus dread that day. And I think that's progress."

Remembering Life, Not Just Death

• Both Anderson and Eric discuss the importance of telling stories about the ones they’ve lost—without always focusing on the pain.
  • [39:36] Eric Church: "Death happened that one time, but the life happened all the time up until that."

Notable Quotes & Moments

• [04:16] Eric Church: "Those bullets shattered that safety and some broken me."
• [10:03] Eric Church: "Every show since then, I have had a moment in the show where I lock eyes or appreciate that we're taking for granted that we'll do this again....I've been way more tuned into that on every show."
• [12:09] Eric Church: "The grief process is what allows time to heal."
• [13:16] Anderson Cooper: "Work is the thing that I latched onto like a rocket. And it saved me until it doesn't."
• [18:52] Eric Church: "Sometimes it's good for a child...to see a life changing event, to see what that death is, that it's a part of something."
• [20:40] Eric Church: "Times have changed...you're trying to protect your kids, but we're probably not."
• [23:49] Eric Church: "I do still feel my brother...a song called Sinners Like Me...when I do that line...I feel him when I'm on stage."
• [26:03] Eric Church: "The hardest thing I've ever done is the day after the Covenant shooting...watching them walk in that school, I've never felt more helpless."
• [34:17] Eric Church: "I'm not saying between the lines, but I'm going to say between the buoys. And it's kept me somewhat moored to knowing and trusting my faith and my spirituality."
• [39:36] Eric Church: "Death happened that one time, but the life happened all the time up until that."

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [02:34] Opening thoughts on loneliness of grief
• [04:16] Eric Church describes his reaction to the Las Vegas shooting
• [09:13] Replay of Grand Ole Opry remarks; process of emotional blackouts and on-stage grief
• [10:53] Performance and meaning of "Why Not Me"
• [14:47] Discussing a traumatic year (health scare, shooting, brother's death)
• [16:43] Vince Gill’s advice on life after loss
• [18:52] Regret over not including children in communal grieving
• [20:40] Cultural shifts in grieving—then vs. now
• [22:14] Eric’s brother’s support in Nashville and collaboration
• [23:49] The enduring presence of those lost, especially through music
• [26:03] Processing the Covenant School shooting as a parent
• [31:42] On talking about loss publicly for the first time
• [34:17] Role of faith in Eric’s navigation of grief
• [37:21] Transforming dread into celebration around important dates
• [39:36] Focusing on life, not just death, when remembering loved ones

Tone & Style

The conversation is candid, direct, and emotionally raw. Both Cooper and Church share unvarnished memories and personal struggles, modeling vulnerability in the hope of encouraging others to be less alone in their grief. The tone is marked by empathy, humility, and a touch of wry humor, especially when reflecting on the cultural quirks around grieving in the American South.

Takeaways

• Grief is universal but can feel incredibly isolating; talking about it, even messily, is vital.
• Avoiding pain may provide temporary relief but leads to greater suffering over time.
• Including children in communal expressions of grief can be healthy and healing.
• Faith, memory, and storytelling are powerful tools for processing loss.
• The day-to-day joys and small connections are more precious after loss; appreciating the moment is part of the healing process.
• It’s not about “getting over” grief, but learning to live alongside it—sometimes by celebrating those we’ve lost, not just mourning them.

This episode offers a moving, resonant road map for grief—one that recognizes the complexities, regrets, and unexpected gifts of being broken open by loss.