Trace Adkins looks back at the night he nearly died after being shot by his then-wife, Julie Curtis, during an argument in 1994. More than three decades later, the country star has managed to find humor in the terrifying incident, joking that Curtis took their disagreement much further than necessary. Adkins also explained why he chose not to press charges, insisting that he didn’t think his ex-wife understood what would happen when she pulled the trigger.
Trace Adkins uses dark humor to remember shooting
Adkins discussed the shooting during a Tuesday appearance on Theo Von’s “This Past Weekend” podcast. “It went a bit far, I thought, ‘that was uncalled for, it was totally uncalled for,'” the 64-year-old singer said in a joking tone.
He then suggested that the couple could have resolved their conflict without resorting to violence. “Go away; let’s stop him and we don’t have to go that far,” Adkins added.
The shooting occurred during an argument over Adkins’ drinking. According to the musician, Curtis got angry because he didn’t want to leave their home. Although the confrontation nearly killed him, Adkins said he never believed Curtis deliberately intended to cause such catastrophic injuries.
Country star says ex-wife ‘thought it was a toy’
Adkins told Von that he never saw Curtis handle or fire a gun, although he knew she owned one. “I don’t think she had any idea what that gun was going to do,” he said. “I had never seen her hold a gun, I had never seen her shoot a gun. I knew she had one, but I had never seen her use it. I don’t think she knew what was going to happen when she pulled the trigger, she thought it was a toy.”
Adkins’ comments reflect his personal interpretation of Curtis’ intentions. He always maintained that he didn’t believe she was trying to kill him. However, the consequences were almost fatal. Adkins said the bullet “went through my heart and both lungs” before exiting through his right arm. The extent of the damage required emergency medical treatment and open heart surgery.
Trace Adkins has little memory of the violent incident
Adkins admitted that his memories of the moments immediately following the shooting remain limited. “I just remember getting off the ground, taking a few steps and then coming back down, that’s all I remember,” he shared.
The singer was then flown to Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, where doctors worked to save his life. According to Adkins, medical professionals told him that the close range of the shots paradoxically played a role in his survival. Because the gun was fired “at close range,” he said the bullet “did not have time to spread” and create even greater damage as it traveled through his body.
Adkins survived the initial injury, but the surgery and recovery created another grueling ordeal. “Recovery from something like that, it hurts, they don’t care, they stretch everything and break things,” he explained. “They’re just trying to get to your heart to save your life.”
The singer refused to file a complaint against Julie Curtis
Adkins and Curtis later divorced in 1994, but the musician decided not to press charges against her. He also said he had no resentment over what happened. “I always felt like I didn’t think she intended to do it — I just don’t think she thought it was going to hurt me,” Adkins explained. “She thought I was indestructible.”
The singer had already reflected on his improbable survival during a 2022 interview with PEOPLE. “It wasn’t my time to go,” he said.
Adkins continued to see a cardiologist regularly throughout the three decades since the shooting. Despite the severity of his injuries, he said the physical pain did not leave as lasting an impression as the emotional difficulties he experienced.
“It was painful, but it didn’t burn into my memory,” he shared. “Physical pain, broken bones, surgeries, bullets, hits and cuts, have never really bothered me. I have a high tolerance for that. It’s the broken hearts that have left the deepest scars.”
Trace Adkins has been married four times
Curtis was the second of Adkins’ four wives. The “Honky Tonk Badonkadonk” singer was first married to Barbara Lewis, with whom he shares two daughters. After his divorce from Curtis, Adkins married Rhonda Forlaw in 1997. The former couple welcomed three daughters during their marriage before splitting in 2014.
Adkins married his current wife, actress Victoria Pratt, in 2019. His longtime friend and fellow country star Blake Shelton would have celebrated their wedding in New Orleans.