Country stars are making waves both on- and offstage. To start, Us is revisiting actress Renée Zellweger and music legend Kenny Chesney’s whirlwind marriage and its ultimately unexpected turn. Carrie Underwood, for her part, powered through technical trainwrecks with poise during a major performance. Meanwhile, Kelsea Ballerini continues to spread love, supporting Chappell Roan’s crossover hit, rocking bedazzled and fan-made boots and cohosting emotional tributes to Naomi Judd, whose death deeply impacted the music world.

In the wake of the loss, Naomi’s daughter Wynonna Judd bravely pushed forward with The Judds’ final tour to honor her mom. Other country icons are cruising forward, including Billy Ray Cyrus teaming up with son Braison for a heartfelt album and Jelly Roll proudly showing off his dramatic weight loss. And romance is in bloom once more, as Morgan Evans steps into the spotlight with a new flame, while Alexandra Kay leaves heartbreak behind for her own headlining tour.

This report was produced with the help of AI tools, which summarized previous stories reported and written by McClatchy journalists. It was edited by journalists from Us Weekly.