Rascal Flatts‘ Jay DeMarcus and his wife, Allison, along with children Madeline and Dylan, are the subject of a new reality TV show, DeMarcus Family Rules, which just premiered on Netflix. Although the show will have the family’s highs and lows on display, the singer says one thing he feels confident about is his 16-year marriage, mostly because both he and Allison have been using a marriage coach to make sure their relationship stays strong.
“I suggest everyone that’s married go to a marriage coach because it will bring things to the surface that you don’t even realize are there,” Jay told Forbes. “It will also keep you very aware of how you’re communicating with your partner. Once you get married and you settle into life together and have a couple of kids, it’s very easy to lose one another in the chaos of all that. The great thing is to have somebody there reminding you to stay connected to the person that you’re a life partner with. That’s what’s been very beneficial for us.”
Allison also says that having a neutral third-party has been helpful for the couple.
“Life is tough and we’ve always had somebody to help us communicate counsel, not because we were in a crisis, but to figure out how to live with each other and be good to each other,” she explained.
The Ohio native didn’t have any qualms about letting fans see his life behind the scenes, mostly because he doesn’t believe his life is that much different than anybody else’s.
“Everybody deals with the same family circumstances, the same crazy family members, the same little spats with their spouses,” Jay maintained. “Everyone goes through that in life, no matter how famous you are, what you’ve done or what your accomplishments are. That was what was interesting for us — to take a look behind the scenes of what it’s really like once the lights are off and everybody’s off the stage and hunkered down, living with their family every day.”
Jay, along with fellow Flatts’ members Gary LeVox and Joe Don Rooney, expected to be on their farewell Life is a Highway Tour right now. The unexpected time at home, because of the coronavirus pandemic, has been, according to Jay, a “blessing and a curse.”
“I was looking forward to doing this tour,” Jay acknowledged. “I miss being on stage with my brothers. It’s always a wonderful thing to see all the fans and get to connect with them. But it’s also been a blessing that I’ve been able to spend more time with my kids and not miss as many things as I normally would this time of year. It’s been really great for me to sit back and be a father for a little bit and a husband.”
Find viewing options for DeMarcus Family Rules at Netflix.com.
