Kimberly Schlapman Called Her Parents Before Spilling This Secret About Her Marriage
The singer has kept the secret under wraps for nearly 20 years — until she finally spilled all on TODAY.
An innocent question posed by Jenna Bush Hager uncovered a big secret Kimberly Schlapman's been keeping for years — and it all played out on TODAY.
During a conversation with Hager on January 28, the Little Big Town singer answered Hager's question, "Have you ever had a wild night on vacation?" with a startling — and hilarious — admission. In short, the answer was a resounding "Yes," but Schlapman had to preface the story with a confession. The singer had to tell the story to her parents first before she blurted it out on national television.
"So I decided before I could say it I needed to call my mama, so I did that, like, 10 minutes ago," Schlapman explained. "And I was like, 'Mama, is Daddy there? Can he hear me? I have to tell you something.' And I told her, and she's like, 'What?' And then finally I got more nervous and nervous, and then she started giggling."
Hager was sitting on the edge of her seat. What could the big secret be that not even Schalpman's parents knew about?
RELATED: All About Little Big Town's Kimberly Schlapman's Husband & Kids
"My husband, I call him Schlap, my last name is Schlapman," she said. "My late husband's name was Steve. This one's name is Steve. I can't call both of my beautiful husbands Steve. So this is Schlap. So Schlap and I got married in November 2006. But six months earlier, we eloped to Vegas."
Wow — what a shocker!
"Wait, your parents didn't know that till today?" asked Hager, stunned.
"Nobody knew," Schlapman replied. "No one knew… My parents found out 10 minutes ago and I'm still shaking thinking about it. But it's nice to be free of that."
Well, the cat's out of the bag now! (We wonder how many other close friends and family members were shocked by this news?)
Fans last saw Schlapman and her Little Big Town bandmates on a national stage during their NBC holiday special, Little Big Town's Christmas at the Opry, an event that featured almost too many unforgettable performances to count.
Kimberly Schlapman found love again after her first husband's death
Schlapman's first husband, Steven Roads, died from a heart attack in 2005. And unsurprisingly, in the aftermath of his death, re-marrying wasn't on Schlapman's mind whatsoever, but sometimes fate works in unexpected ways.
"I wasn't planning on falling in love, at all," Schlapman told The Boot in 2013. "My husband now and I were just really good friends, and after my late husband died, all my friends were calling me, all the time. Just checking up on me. [Steven Schlapman] was just an old friend. We had known each other for about six years, and he started calling me just like everybody else did. But he started calling me more than everybody else did."
It took time, but eventually, she developed romantic feelings for her future husband, feelings that surprised even her.
"I was shocked; I remember when I first realized that I was having feelings, I just thought, 'OK, this is so weird. What is this? I haven't felt this in a long, long time,'" Schlapman explained. "But eventually I allowed myself, and it's been the most beautiful gift of my life. It pulled me out of the deepest hole that I've ever been in and healed me."
The two married in 2006 and haven't looked back — and now Schlapman's parents finally know exactly when they tied the knot!
