Marcus King and his wife, Briley, have been dodging a breakup rumor for months. Earlier in the summer, this story turned another page with new speculation that Marcus and Briley are back together. It’s all because of a neck tattoo.
A Marcus & Briley thread popped up on the Celeb Wives of Nashville subreddit under the “unverified tea” flair. The OP didn’t know what the heck was going on.
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They uploaded a photo carousel from Briley’s Insta of her in a bikini, sitting in Marcus’s lap on a boat. Briley added a sassy caption that the pictures were of her and her “spray tan artist.”
The OP asked, “I don’t know if this is new.” They did think that the crazy tattoo on Marcus’s neck — that looks like Briley’s head — was new.
They wrote, “I saw the post where people speculated they were having problems. Guess not.”
Briley Was Accused of Using Marcus
It should be great news, but this thread took a turn. Users began throwing shade at the alleged “mess” that Marcus and Briley have become, together and separately.
One commenter called them a “hot, steamy, dumpstery” mess. They added, “I’m down to watch the train wreck.” Although, they showed some mercy suggesting that Marcus and Briley “both sober up and also get their [sh*t] together.”
Another user admitted they “love” Marcus and “saw him last summer.” However, they alleged that Marcus’s career “isn’t stable enough for a messy personal life.”
There was also a discussion of how Marcus brings Briley out on stage to sing duets. One user wrote that Marcus “put her at the center of his skyrocketing career.” They accused Briley of “trying to make it like a Tim and Faith thing” when she was never an “established artist.”
Another user remembered thinking Briley freaked out “on socials” when Marcus allegedly “got cozy with a fan.” Someone else alleged that Marcus “relapsed too, and she freaked out about” that. There are a lot of allegations to unpack here, especially when Marcus and Briley look so happy, and he apparently has a tattoo of her on his neck.
The Couple Are Allegedly Back Together
Another Celeb Wives thread appeared in June under the “Nashville Influencers” flair. The OP alleged that Briley has “reunited” with Marcus on tour and is “having a great time” as she returns to his “stage” and is “back riding Marcus’s coattails.”
The OP didn’t mention anything about Marcus relapsing, so hopefully, that’s not the real truth. Still, they agreed with other users who thought that Briley had removed Marcus “from her bio,” shared “cryptic stories” about his alleged cheating, and unpinned “their wedding pictures.”
Nobody is dissing anybody else’s right to freedom of speech. The Celeb Wives subreddit is shamelessly honest about being “a place to discuss or snark about celebrities, country singers,” and Nashville influencers like Briley. It’s also a great place to compare allegations and gossip that mainstream media won’t touch!
But it gets a little tiring when users continually bash Marcus for his “odd looks” and what a “weird couple” Briley and Marcus make. Some users aren’t down with this, and one commenter bravely took a stand.
They wrote that other people’s nasty comments made them “sad” and added that Marcus “has had a rough life and has turned his troubles into one helluva talent.” They also mentioned how Marcus has been “very open about battling depression.” The real truth is that Marcus battles tremendous insecurities, and those cruel comments don’t help.
Briley Was Allegedly Jealous of a Fan
However, this user wasn’t as tactful about Marcus and Briley’s marriage. Shockingly, they told everyone else to “hate on” Marcus’s marriage “all you want,” minus all the “body-shaming comments.”
That opened up a different side to this story. Another user agreed that “Marcus is super talented” and he was “a child prodigy on the guitar.” This user added that the Marcus and Briley marriage “drama is crazy,” but “his music is the real deal.”
Does Briley get any support on this subreddit? Before you make up your mind, think again because the answer might shock you.
One user shockingly admitted, “I don’t get the hate for either of them.” This person thinks Briley has struggled “with her own insecurities, and when a nice guy came along, she fell for him.” They also think Briley enjoys Marcus’s “talent,” but “that doesn’t mean she’s a gold digger.”
In May 2024, a Briley and Marcus thread on the Celeb Wives subreddit ran with a shocking photo of Marcus and a fan looking extremely cozy on the outdoor patio at some anonymous bar. Briley posted a smoking gun on Instagram with the suspicious caption: “Well aren’t you two cute!” That’s where all the breakup rumors originated.
One user admitted to being “another one perplexed” by Marcus and Briley as a couple, claiming that “their timeline [was] pretty fast” when they got engaged after “7 months” and married in under two years. This user said they were going “out on a limb” and guessing that Marcus “wasn’t very popular with the ladies” before he started opening for Chris Stapleton. Now that Marcus is experiencing more fame, the user imagines “he doesn’t quite want to turn down the sudden line of attractive women.”
Briley Stayed with Marcus at His Lowest Point
So, what changed for Marcus and Briley that allegedly brought them back together in June? Spin published a cover story with Marcus in May 2024. For the first time, he might have genuinely set the record straight about his dark past and how it began to change for him when he met Briley.
As Spin wrote, Marcus was at “his lowest point” when he “called up a woman he had just met and left a rambling message” at five in the morning. Before Marcus revealed her name, he told Spin that the woman “had a corporate job at the time” and “obviously, she didn’t answer the phone.”
RELATED: Who is Marcus King’s Wife? What to Know About Briley
Many fans and followers know that Briley worked for the Bank of America before she met Marcus, but a shocking, lesser-known fact about Marcus is how “incredibly broken” and “fragile” he was then. Marcus confessed he was drinking when he left that voicemail for Briley. Although he told Spin, “I was one day clean off other nefarious substances.”
Spin wrote that Marcus’ behavior “seemed like a giant red flag,” but Briley didn’t run “in the other direction.” Marcus revealed in the interview why he thought Briley reached out to him without fear.
He said that Briley “recognized” his “need for some guidance and some light” in his life. Shockingly, Marcus noted that Briley “kept that voicemail on her phone” as a reminder of how low Marcus had gone and “how high he had climbed since.” If you need proof, you can hear it for yourself on one of Marcus’ songs.
The Couple Haven’t Given up on Each Other
Spin explained how Briley approached Marcus during a recording session for his “harrowing, hopeful new album, Mood Swings.” Briley had an unbelievable suggestion.
She thought that Marcus should “sample the voicemail” on the song “Cadillac.” Shockingly, Marcus agreed.
Marcus praised Briley in this interview, claiming she has “this innate ability to say things she thinks are important.” He also had her sing backup on “Cadillac” because he has a “higher voice,” and she has a “really deep, rich texture” to her voice that “blended so well.”
Spin wrote that Marcus’s voicemail was “slurred and garbled” from drinking, yet he sounded “excited about this new person in his life.” That’s what shone “a little light” into an “otherwise overwhelmingly dark song.”
In the middle of July, Marcus posted a photo carousel to Instagram that currently has almost 20,000 likes. The images include Briley backstage, looking fierce in her cowboy hat and then singing on stage in front of a packed-looking stadium.
There’s also a collage of Marcus playing onstage beside an image of Briley and Marcus kissing. Another shot shows Briley in a white button-up shirt, wearing sunglasses and another cowboy hat resting high on her head as she playfully sticks her tongue out and listens to something through earbuds.
Marcus wrote a heartfelt tribute to his wife, starting with, “I love this woman SO much.” He went on to say that Briley “challenges” him to be the “best man” he can be. She’s the “toughest woman” he knows.
Marcus claimed, “When she believes in something, she never gives up on it.” It seems like this couple isn’t giving up on their love story either.
