Kenny Chesney Denies Gay Rumors Following Annulment

Country music star Kenny Chesney has publicly addressed longstanding rumors regarding his sexuality that emerged after his 2005 annulment from actress Renée Zellweger. The couple’s brief marriage, which lasted only four months, ended with Zellweger citing “fraud” as the reason for the annulment—a term that sparked widespread speculation about Chesney’s sexual orientation.

In a 2007 interview with CBS’s 60 Minutes, Chesney clarified the situation, stating that the term “fraud” was chosen as a broad legal term without specific implications. He explained, “We thought the least harmful [stated reason] was fraud because it [is] kind of broad…doesn’t specify. And boy…we were wrong.” Chesney firmly denied the rumors, asserting, “It’s not true. Period. Maybe I should have come out and said, ‘No, I’m not [gay],’ but I didn’t want to draw any more attention to it.”

Renée Zellweger also addressed the rumors in a 2016 interview, expressing sadness over the speculation. She remarked, “That made me sad. It made me sad that somehow people were using that as a way to be cruel and calling someone gay as a pejorative, which has fateful consequences.”

Since the annulment, Chesney has maintained a private personal life and has been in a relationship with Mary Nolan since 2012.