Sober Tim McGraw Says He 'Would've Died Already' If He Hadn't Married Faith Hill

I’m gonna be real with you: my knowledge of country music is sorely lacking. But, thanks to her gleeful 1998 hit, “This Kiss”, and her supporting role in the abysmal 2004 remake of The Stepford Wives, I do know Faith Hill. And, through Faith, I know Tim McGraw. The pair got hitched in 1996, and share three daughters: Gracie (26), Maggie (25), and Audrey (21).

In a new interview with Apple Music, Tim reveals he thinks he “would’ve died already” had he not married Faith:

“I guarantee you, had I not gotten married to Faith at 29 years old, A), I probably would’ve ran my career into the ground, and B), I would’ve died already with my career into the ground, one or the other, and it wouldn’t have ever been where it’s at now.”

Tim adds that Faith tolerated his “wild years”:

“Well, I don’t know if the maturity’s occurred yet, but she put up with it for a while because I was pretty sneaky about it for a while,” he said, laughing. “But it was just overdoing stuff, and then I think when the kids got old enough that they could notice things is when she finally said, ‘You’ve got to figure this out.’”

Tim is referring to his struggles with alcoholism. He has been sober since 2008. In a 2021 essay with Esquire, the 56-year-old recalled hitting rock bottom and asking Faith for help:

I remember a moment when I was getting out of bed and going to the liquor cabinet and taking a big shot at 8:00 in the morning and thinking, I have to wake the kids up. I went straight to my wife and said, “This is where I’m at.” I was scared. She just grabbed me and hugged me and changed my life.

Earlier this month, Tim told Yahoo Entertainment that sobriety is “not a linear path” for him:

“There’s setbacks and there’s times you move forward and do great, and there’s times you set back. And that’ll probably [sic] a process throughout the rest of my life and something that I have to be diligent about and really continue to work at. And I think [“Hey Whiskey”] is helpful in that regard. It was very cathartic to me, in a lot of ways.”

“Hey Whiskey” is a song on Tim’s latest album, Standing Room Only. It’s a ballad about the destruction and regret that comes with binge drinking. Woof. I. Can. Relate. Ya know, as someone who recently quit alcohol, I’ve found myself taking great comfort in reading about celebrities who’ve done the same. Their experiences make sobriety seem a little more ~*glamorous*~. Am I a 30-something recovering alcoholic who’s spent the entire month of August battling a kitchen fruit fly infestation, aka The New Great War? Or am I a Drew Barrymore/Cara Delevingne/Tim McGraw hybrid on the brink of self-actualization? Stay tuned…