Veteran pop singer Michelle Branch, known for a string of hits in the early aughts, has been arrested for domestic assault after she allegedly slapped her estranged husband Patrick Carney.
The couple has had a busy couple of days, as Branch recently announced the three-year-old marriage was ending over infidelity, according to TMZ. Branch tweeted that the Black Keys drummer was cheating and then deleted it.
Police were called to the couple’s residence in Nashville around 2 AM. In court documents obtained by TMZ, Branch admitted she slapped her husband “one to two times.” She was arrested and taken into custody but was released early because she was breastfeeding the couple’s child, who is six months old.
Before the altercation, she released a statement about the breakup.
“To say that I am totally devastated doesn’t even come close to describing how I feel for myself and for my family. The rug has been completely pulled from underneath me and now I must figure out how to move forward. With such small children, I ask for privacy and kindness.”
The couple married in 2019 in New Orleans, and Carney is Branch’s second husband.
Before the split, Branch shared a number of positive posts about her husband, including this one on Father’s Day.
“This guy makes our world go around and we love him so ❤️. I’m sorry you didn’t get to golf yesterday, Patrick! #FathersDay 🏆.”
Carney has been married twice before. His first marriage was to writer Denise Grollmus in 2009. They were high school sweethearts but their marriage ended over alcohol abuse and infidelity, she said in a tell-all piece for Salon.
He was married to Emily Ward from 2012 to 2016. Branch was previously married to Teddy Landau from 2004 to 2015.
If you are experiencing domestic abuse, or if you believe someone you know is being abused, contact The National Domestic Violence Hotline. The hotline can be reached at 1-800-799-SAFE or spoken with online via the hotline’s website. Mobile phone owners can also text “START” to the number 88788.
