Thomas Rhett is a proud father of four — and hints he would like to have more — but his original plans didn’t necessarily include being the patriarch of a large family. In fact, Rhett reveals that only Willa Gray (who was adopted from Uganda) and Lennon Love, born in 2020, are the only two that he and his wife, Lauren Akins, actually planned.
“If I’m being honest with you, Willa Gray and Lennon were the only two that were planned,” Rhett shares with BMLG. “Now, I do not believe in accidents. I do believe everything happens for a reason.”
In addition to Willa Gray and Lennon, Rhett and Akins also have Ada James, born in 2017, and Lillie Carolina, born in 2021. While he didn’t plan on having four girls, especially so close in age, the 32-year-old is profoundly grateful for each of them.
“I will say, Ada James was definitely a surprise, and Lily was an extra surprise,” Rhett admits. “And in the moment, you’re kind of sitting there going, ‘What are we doing?’ And now that they’re all getting of this age, you look back at all the sleepless nights, and all the crying and the teething, and all that stuff, and you go, ‘Man, I wouldn’t trade it for the world.’ It truly is the best thing that I’ve ever been a part of in my life, getting to be a dad. So, it is chaos 24/7, but it’s a beautiful kind of chaos.”
If Rhett and Akins do decide to expand their family more, the singer-songwriter says it might be through adoption.
“[It’s] something that we talk about really openly,” Thomas tells Entertainment Tonight. “I think me and Lauren’s main thing we want to get across is how proud we are and that we want her to grow up proud of herself and of her family … and to embrace who you are and to embrace your uniqueness and embrace your culture as well. That’s something we want to educate her on as long as she’s still in our household and even beyond that.”
Whether it’s through adoption or birth, it’s likely Rhett and Akins will have more children in the future.
“Maybe in a couple years we’ll start trying again, because my wife does want five kids,” Rhett reveals. “So, we’ll see what happens. Adoption is very important to us and our family, and there are a few people in our family who were also adopted. It weighs pretty heavy on our hearts, so we would love to do that again.”
Rhett just released “Angels Don’t Always Have Wings,” written about Akins. The song is from his latest Where We Started album, out last year.
“This is my favorite song from the album. I wrote it from a personal perspective, but I think it will resonate with a lot of people,” Rhett says of the song, which he wrote with Julian Bunetta, Jaten Dimsdale and Josh Thompson. “It’s about how none of us are perfect, and how lucky we are to have those people in our lives who show up and love us despite our flaws. I often look at my wife and think she’s truly an angel, for the love and grace she shows me every single day.”
Rhett will embark on his Home Team Tour 23 in May, with Cole Swindell and Nate Smith serving as his opening acts. Find music and tour dates at ThomasRhett.com.
Read ‘Thomas Rhett: 11 Things to Know About the Superstar’ here.
Photo Credit: Courtesy of The GreenRoom