The BobbyCast: Morgan Evans on Public Divorce, Ayahuasca Experience & Healing Host: Bobby Bones | Guest: Morgan Evans | Air date: March 6, 2026

Overview

In this deeply personal episode of The BobbyCast, Morgan Evans joins Bobby Bones for an unguarded conversation about the last few tumultuous years of his life. Evans opens up about going through a highly public divorce, his journey of healing that included an ayahuasca retreat, the process of creating his most personal record to date ("Still Town"), and what he’s learned about friendship, vulnerability, and moving on.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Life After Public Divorce

• Evans' Withdrawal and Coping Mechanism

  • Morgan describes how, after his public divorce from Kelsea Ballerini, he became extremely busy intentionally:
    "At the end of 22, I was like, I want to be so busy next year that I don't have time to think about my own life." (04:25)
  • Pushed himself with constant touring and work to avoid confronting his emotions until he eventually realized the need for creative and emotional downtime.

• Impact of Public Scrutiny

  • Evans reflects on the pain of being subject to online negativity and unfair narratives:
    "I think maybe I was made out to be... an archetype for any guy that had done any woman wrong during that period of time." (33:10)
  • Shares how he developed coping strategies, like not engaging with online comments unless he felt strong enough:
    "Unless I'm ready to battle, don't go into battle. That's just reading it." (31:30, Bobby Bones)

• Finding Out About the Divorce

  • Evans learned of his divorce in a direct conversation, which left him blindsided:
    "I was not expecting that conversation, no. And maybe that was me being naive, I don't know. But I definitely wasn't and took me by surprise." (35:30)

• Handling the Fallout

  • He talks about processing grief, seeking support from friends and therapy, and the challenges of being so far away from family.

2. The Ayahuasca Retreat and Healing

• What Ayahuasca Is and Why He Tried It (06:14–12:58)

  • Evans traveled solo to a retreat in Costa Rica seeking clarity at what he called "the end of the road" emotionally.
  • Describes the ceremony:
    "You go up and you take a shot of this liquid... and then you go and lie down and see what happens." (07:09)
  • The experience was intense, not simply relaxing or recreational:
    "Very vulnerable... I would say it's probably not the best for that [escaping feelings]." (08:45)

• What He Learned

  • Evans experienced vivid, sometimes out-of-body reliving of past events, which allowed him to gain wisdom from pain:
    "It's like turning pain into wisdom and then getting on with it." (12:16)
  • The retreat was transformative but not something he'd repeat:
    "I have no desire to go do it again, really." (12:37)

• Comparison to Other Therapeutic Experiences

  • Both Bobby and Morgan discuss traditional therapy, with Bobby sharing his own experience with an intensive therapy retreat and the benefits of being pushed outside his comfort zone.

3. The Role of True Friendship & Support

• How Bobby Supported Morgan

  • Bobby shares how he reached out to Evans during a difficult period:
    "You'd be one of the people if you were like, hey, can you see if you match for a kidney? I would give you a kidney." (24:18)
  • Evans expresses immense gratitude for Bobby’s support and advice, especially on handling public controversy:
    "You need to go and say everything as loudly as you can and be as honest as you can. Or you just need to go away, don't say anything, and live your best life." (Advice paraphrased, 22:27)

• Genuine vs. Superficial Friendships

  • The divorce and its aftermath revealed who Morgan’s real friends were:
    "In a town like Nashville... you also find out who the real ones are." (21:45)

4. The Music: Healing through Creation

• Songwriting During Hard Times

  • Evans wrote "Over For You" in the heart of his despair, finding catharsis in music:
    "The way people have reacted to that song have kind of changed the way that I think about, like, how powerful music can be." (37:50)

• The Process of Making "Still Town"

  • Took years to release a new album, focusing on making a cohesive, honest body of work:
    "I wanted this next thing to be a body of work that I was proud of... and I love so much that I wanted to share with the world." (04:39)
  • Selection of songs for the album was deliberate:
    "I was really thoughtful about the songs that I chose for this record from that period... These 11 tracks, to me, they all say something important on that journey of the last three years." (39:50)

• Naming the Album

  • "Still Town" is named after his hometown, symbolizing where his recovery and new life truly began:
    "It's kind of where the story starts... it's the place that it all built from." (58:03)

5. New Love and Privacy

• Dating Lacy
  • Evans is now in a relationship (with artist Lacy), but intentionally keeps details private:
    "There is a level that's really healthy to keep to ourselves." (44:12)
  • He’s learned from past experiences to be mindful about what to share publicly versus what to protect.

6. Returning Home and Perspective

• Australian Country Music Evolution

  • Evans describes how country music is now more mainstream in Australia, referencing playing huge festivals back home.
  • Stories about Keith Urban’s influence—Morgan credits Urban with blazing a trail for Aussies in Nashville.

• Hometown Healing

  • Stepping away from Nashville and returning to his roots allowed Morgan to find perspective, reconnect with old friends, and feel grounded again:
    "Just going back to my hometown and catching up with the old mates... you realize that Nashville feels like the center of the universe... but the world's a big place." (41:11)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Grief and Growth:
  "At the end of that week, everything felt lighter for sure. It's been really helpful and I have no desire to go do it again, really." — Morgan Evans (12:37)

• On Coping with Online Hate:
  "I don't know anyone that writes negative comments... I can't imagine what kind of a space you'd have to be in to get online and want to write something about somebody like that." — Morgan Evans (34:02)

• On Friendship:
  "You'd be one of the people if you were like, hey, can you see if you match for a kidney? I would give you a kidney." — Bobby Bones (24:18)

• On Regret and Perspective:
  "I'm glad that I didn't go out and do a bunch of tell all things while I was in the midst of trying to work out how I was feeling. And I'm also really grateful for where I'm at now in life. And so it's hard to have any regrets." — Morgan Evans (41:49)

• On First Album Influence:
  "[Keith Urban] was just ripping on the guitar and it was just like this light bulb going off in my head and I thought I need to find out where that came from." — Morgan Evans (50:04)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [03:07] – Morgan on leaving and working nonstop after his divorce
• [06:02–12:58] – Ayahuasca retreat details and impact
• [17:02] – Bobby on intensive therapy and comparison to ayahuasca
• [22:00] – Finding out who real friends are in Nashville
• [22:09] – Morgan thanks Bobby for friendship during the hardest times
• [31:30] – Coping with online hate and separating perception from reality
• [35:19] – Morgan on how he found out about the divorce
• [37:45] – Writing music ("Over For You") during the hardest period
• [39:50] – Deliberate album creation and song selection
• [41:11] – On the necessity of leaving Nashville to gain perspective
• [43:40] – Morgan on dating Lacy and their approach to privacy
• [50:04] – The Keith Urban album that inspired Morgan's career
• [58:03] – Why the new album is called "Still Town"
• [59:57] – Australian country music’s evolution, and Morgan's homecoming festival experience
• [63:08] – Bobby and Morgan reflect on the challenge of interviewing friends
• [65:56] – Morgan on the anxiety of returning to public interviews and trusting Bobby with his story

Closing Thoughts

This candid, insightful episode offers a rare glimpse behind the headlines into Morgan Evans' healing journey, the role of friendship, and the creative process behind his forthcoming album "Still Town." Both host and guest approach topics with empathy, humor, and vulnerability, making it a must-listen for anyone interested in the reality behind public persona, personal reinvention, and the redemptive power of music.