Fifth Fiddle of Joy: Thomas Rhett and Lauren Akins Announce Baby Girl No. 5
In the heartwarming glow of a Nashville sunset, where the Cumberland River mirrors the endless sky of family dreams, Thomas Rhett and Lauren Akins dropped a bombshell that turned country music’s timeline into a sea of pink hearts and joyful tears: they’re expecting their fifth daughter, a little girl set to join the Akins girl gang in spring 2026.
A surprise reveal steals the spotlight.
On August 26, 2025, the couple shared the news via a heart-melting Instagram video that racked up 10 million views in hours. Thomas, strumming his guitar in their Franklin, Tennessee backyard, reworked his 2018 hit “Life Changes” with lyrics that captured the beautiful chaos: “While I was wrapping my head around being a dad / A bigger wrench got thrown in the plans we thought we had / Now Lauren’s showing, got one on the way / Yeah, that’s five under 10, hey what can I say?” As he sang, Lauren, 35, held up ultrasound photos, rubbing her growing belly with a grin that lit up the screen. The clip ended with their four daughters—Willa Gray, Ada James, Lennon Love, and Lillie Carolina—rushing in with pink balloons exploding like confetti, hugging their parents in a tangle of giggles and glitter. Captioned “Here we go again! We’ve got some really excited big sisters in our house. God is so good,” the post flooded with 2 million likes, fans dubbing it “the cutest country plot twist.”
From high school sweethearts to girl dad dynasty.
Thomas Rhett Akins and Lauren Gregory’s love story is the stuff of Nashville ballads: kindergarten classmates in Hendersonville, Tennessee, who rekindled at her sister’s 2011 graduation party after years apart. Engaged six months later with a proposal scrawled on a wine bottle label—”Marry Me?”—they wed on October 12, 2012, in a fairy-tale ceremony at St. Thomas Episcopal Church. “Well duh, yes!” was Lauren’s reply, a line that became their mantra through fertility struggles and adoption miracles. Their first, Willa Gray, arrived via adoption from a Ugandan orphanage in May 2017, after Lauren bonded with the then-1-year-old during a 2016 mission trip with 147 Million Orphans. “She was glowing,” Thomas later recalled on Kevin Bacon’s podcast. Just months later, Ada James was born in August 2017, followed by Lennon Love in February 2020 amid a pandemic lockdown, and Lillie Carolina in November 2021, weighing 7.5 pounds of “pure joy,” as Thomas announced. Now, at 35, Thomas jokes he’s “officially out-daughtered,” but his grin says he’s all in. “Five girls—I must’ve done something right,” he quipped in the video, echoing the gratitude that’s laced his hits like “Die a Happy Man,” written as a vow to Lauren.
A family forged in faith and fearless love.
The Akins brood isn’t just a family—it’s a force. Willa, 9, the adventurous eldest with a knack for soccer and storytelling, often leads “big sister meetings” with Ada, 8, the artistic dreamer who sketches album covers for her dad’s songs. Lennon, 5, is the family’s spark—full of spunk and spontaneous dance parties—while Lillie, 3, is the cuddly caboose, already mimicking Thomas’s guitar strums with a toy ukulele. Lauren, a former nurse and vice president of Love One International, has chronicled their “beautiful chaos” in her 2021 New York Times bestseller Live in Love, a memoir blending raw honesty about miscarriages, adoption heartaches, and marital grit with unshakeable faith. “We’re not perfect; we’re persistent,” she wrote, a ethos mirrored in their “His and Hers” perfumes with Ranger Station, where half the proceeds fund Ugandan orphans. Thomas, whose seventh album About a Woman dropped in 2024, credits Lauren as his “compass,” telling People: “She’s the melody in our madness.” Their home, a sprawling Franklin haven with princess beds and Bible verses on the walls, buzzes with homeschool lessons, mission planning, and impromptu karaoke—Thomas belting “Marry Me” as the girls twirl in tutus.
Fans and stars shower love like confetti.
The announcement turned social media into a virtual baby shower. #AkinsBaby5 trended No. 1 globally, with 15 million mentions as fans flooded comments: “Five princesses? Thomas, you’re living the dream!” one wrote, liked 100,000 times. TikTok overflowed with reaction videos—moms tearing up to “Life Changes,” dads joking “One more girl and you’ll need a pink tour bus.” Celebrities piled on: Carrie Underwood, Thomas’s duet partner, posted: “Another sister for the squad—congrats, y’all! 💕” Blake Shelton quipped: “TR, better start saving for weddings. 😂” Even P!nk, a genre-blender peer, shared: “Girl power times five? Iconic family goals.” The outpouring, laced with prayers—”God bless this bundle of joy”—reflected the Akins’ influence: Thomas’s 2025 tour, Live in Love, grossed $100 million, but his real hits are these moments of multiplication. “Love doesn’t divide; it expands,” Lauren captioned a follow-up story, ultrasound in hand, as 500,000 hearts poured in.
A testament to multiplying miracles.
This bombshell isn’t just news—it’s a narrative of faith-fueled family. Amid 2025’s tempests—Thomas’s Olympic fairness stand, Lauren’s recent ATV scare recovery—their announcement is a beacon. “We thought four was our forever, but God had five in mind,” Thomas told CMT in a quick interview, his voice thick with wonder. Their podcast Live in Love, co-hosted by Lauren, will dedicate episodes to “growing through the glow,” blending tips on adoption waits with pregnancy prep. As the due date nears—spring 2026, perhaps tying into Thomas’s album cycle—the Akins remind us: in a world of fleeting fame, family is the forever hit. Willa’s already planning “big sis duties,” Ada’s sketching nursery art, Lennon’s practicing lullabies, and Lillie’s toddling around with a “Baby Sis” sign. Thomas, the ultimate girl dad, sums it: “We’re outnumbered, but overjoyed.” For the Akins, love multiplies—not divides—and this newest blessing, wrapped in pink promise, proves it. Hats off, country kin: another verse in their endless song. 💞
