Zac Brown Band’s New Video Sparks Controversy Amid Legal Battle with Estranged Wife
The legal drama between country music star Zac Brown and his estranged wife, Kelly Yazdi, continues to unfold with new developments. The Zac Brown Band frontman’s recent music video has ignited further controversy amidst their contentious divorce proceedings, with accusations and legal actions intensifying between the former couple.
The couple, who were married for just four months, separated late last year and have since been embroiled in a highly publicized and acrimonious split. Zac Brown, known for hits like “Chicken Fried,” has taken legal action against Yazdi, seeking a temporary restraining order that would require her to remove social media posts he claims are defamatory and in violation of a confidentiality agreement she signed.
The catalyst for the latest flare-up is a recent music video released by the Zac Brown Band, which Yazdi alleges mocks their wedding party and includes a caricature meant to represent her. This, she claims, is part of Brown’s effort to publicly defame her while attempting to maintain his own image.
“It is beyond ironic that Zac’s first act after filing an unnecessary public divorce lawsuit was to release a music video that deliberately mocked our wedding party from only a few months before – including a false and defamatory caricature obviously intended to be me and hurt me,” Yazdi wrote in a statement on Instagram. “Yet he now claims his ‘only hope’ is that we show each other ‘mutual respect’ by keeping ‘private matters private’ as we negotiate the terms of our divorce.”
Brown filed for the restraining order on May 17 in Fulton County, Georgia, citing several past and potential violations of the confidentiality agreement by Yazdi. He alleges that her Instagram posts, particularly a poem she shared on May 4, divulge confidential information and defame him. In his legal complaint, Brown claims that Yazdi’s posts amount to harassment and are a strategic attempt to portray him as a villain.
“After much deliberation, I took the steps necessary to enforce an agreement between us to maintain personal and business affairs in confidence and to protect my family from online harassment and speculation,” Brown stated. “My only hope is for us to keep private matters private and to move forward with the mutual respect we had agreed to show one another when we parted ways.”
Yazdi has vehemently denied these allegations, asserting that her posts are a form of artistic expression and a necessary outlet for her to process the trauma she experienced during their marriage. She argues that Brown is using his wealth and influence to silence her and control the narrative.
“No one – not even Zac Brown with all of his money, power, celebrity, and lawyers – may silence my right to freely express myself through art or, although I have to date declined to do so publicly, to speak about the circumstances of our pending divorce,” Yazdi wrote. “It will not work, and I will not be silenced by him no matter how ridiculous his tactics.”
In response to Brown’s court filing, Yazdi has vowed to fight back in court, insisting that she will tell her side of the story despite the legal and public pressure.
The court has granted Brown’s temporary restraining order, requiring Yazdi to remove the contested Instagram posts. However, Yazdi’s defiance suggests that the legal battle is far from over, as she prepares to challenge the restraining order and defend her right to speak out.