
Natalie Maines, the lead vocalist for the country band the Chicks (formerly known as the Dixie Chicks), has been married twice. Her first marriage was to her South Plains College boyfriend, bassist Michael Tarabay, and her second was to actor Adrian Pasdar, with whom she has two sons.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| First Marriage | Michael Tarabay |
| First Marriage Date | 1997 |
| First Marriage End | 1999 |
| Second Marriage | Adrian Pasdar |
| Second Marriage Date | 24 June 2000 |
| Second Marriage End | 2019 |
| Children | Two sons: Jackson Slade, Beckett Finn |
| Custody | Joint custody of their children |
| Prenup | Yes |
| Divorce Proceedings | Pasdar requested access to unreleased music by Maines |
| Pasdar questioned the validity of their prenup |
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What You'll Learn

Natalie Maines' first marriage to Michael Tarabay
Natalie Maines, the lead vocalist for the country band the Chicks, formerly known as the Dixie Chicks, was first married to Michael Tarabay. Tarabay was a bassist for Pat Green. The couple met while attending South Plains College and married in 1997, moving to Nashville, Tennessee, together. However, within two years, they filed for divorce, citing irreconcilable differences.
Maines's marriage to Tarabay ended abruptly and bitterly, and the aftermath took a toll on her health. She gained weight, and publicists at the Chicks' record label closely guarded any photos of her. Maines' bandmates even nicknamed her "J.R." (for "Jelly Roll") behind her back.
Following her divorce from Tarabay, Maines met actor Adrian Pasdar in May 1999 at the wedding of her bandmate Emily Erwin (now Emily Strayer) to Charlie Robison. Maines and Pasdar married on June 24, 2000, at A Little White Wedding Chapel in Las Vegas. They had two sons together, and Maines referred to herself as Natalie Pasdar during their marriage.
Maines filed for divorce from Pasdar in July 2017, and it was finalized in December 2019. The breakdown of their marriage inspired several songs on the 2020 album Gaslighter, which marked the Chicks' return to the country music scene after a 14-year hiatus. The lead single and title track, "Gaslighter," is a scathing song in which the subject of Maines' scorn is called a "liar" and a "denier." Many of the lyrics seem to specifically reference her marriage to Pasdar, including references to moving to California and Hollywood.
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How Natalie Maines met her second husband, Adrian Pasdar
Natalie Maines, the lead vocalist for the country band The Chicks, met her second husband, Adrian Pasdar, an American actor, at the wedding of her bandmate Emily Strayer (formerly Erwin, now Robison) to Charlie Robison in May 1999. Maines was a bridesmaid, and Pasdar was a groomsman.
Pasdar is known for his roles in films such as Top Gun and Just Like a Woman, and TV shows like Profit, Heroes, Desperate Housewives, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., and Supergirl. He also appeared in the music video for The Chicks' song "Goodbye Earl," which won the Video of the Year Award for both the Academy of Country Music and the Country Music Association in 2000.
Maines and Pasdar married on June 24, 2000, at A Little White Wedding Chapel in Las Vegas, Nevada. The couple had a whirlwind courtship, and their Las Vegas wedding took place right after The Chicks played a sold-out show in the city. Maines and Pasdar won $740 by gambling at the Mandalay Bay casino after their nuptials.
Maines and Pasdar were married for 17 years and had two sons, Jackson and Beckett. In July 2017, Maines filed for divorce, citing irreconcilable differences, and the divorce was finalized in December 2019. The events leading up to their divorce inspired multiple songs on The Chicks' 2020 album "Gaslighter", with lyrics that paint a picture of the breakdown of their relationship and Pasdar's alleged infidelity.
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The couple's prenup and spousal support disputes
Natalie Maines, the lead vocalist for the country band the Chicks (formerly known as the Dixie Chicks), was married to actor Adrian Pasdar. The couple had two sons and resided mainly in Los Angeles, with homes in Austin and New York City.
Maines filed for divorce in July 2017, citing "irreconcilable differences". She requested joint custody of their children, and the couple had a prenup in place for their finances. However, Pasdar disputed the validity of the prenup and claimed spousal support, arguing that he had sacrificed his career to care for their children and that Maines was the primary breadwinner. He requested that Maines pay him $60,000 per month in spousal and child support, as well as $450,000 in retroactive child support.
Maines, on the other hand, claimed that the prenup stipulated that her money from the Dixie Chicks was separate from marital assets. She also accused Pasdar of delaying the divorce proceedings by not turning in necessary documents. In August 2019, Pasdar requested access to Maines's unreleased music, arguing that any content or lyrics about him or their marriage could breach the confidentiality clause in their prenup.
The divorce was finalised in December 2019. The events leading up to the divorce inspired multiple songs on the Chicks' 2020 album "Gaslighter", which includes references to moving to California, Hollywood, and the breakdown of Maines's marriage.
As for the couple's prenup and spousal support disputes, Pasdar challenged the validity of the prenup, claiming that he did not understand its terms and legal effects, and that it would be "unconscionable" for him to not receive financial support from Maines. He also claimed that he did not have adequate knowledge of Maines's financial obligations when he signed the agreement. However, attorneys for Pasdar stated that there was no objection to the division of assets as stated in the prenup, but rather to the lack of spousal support agreement.
A judge may dismiss a prenup if one spouse was not adequately counselled about its implications or if it is deemed unfair. In this case, the prenup was intended to protect assets but not leave one spouse in poverty. Despite the disputes, the couple was able to negotiate an agreement for property division without going into litigation.
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Adrian Pasdar's acting career
Adrian Pasdar is an American film, television, and voice actor. He is also a director and producer. Pasdar was born in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, to Rosemarie Pasdar (née Sbresny), a travel agent, and Homayoon Pasdar, an Iranian-American cardiac surgeon. His mother is German, and his father is Iranian, with some Polish heritage. The family moved to Powelton, Pennsylvania, a suburb of Philadelphia, when Pasdar was two years old. He grew up in West Philadelphia and later moved to Lansdowne, Pennsylvania.
Pasdar attended Marple Newtown High School, where he played football and studied acting. He went on to the University of Florida on a football scholarship but had to give up the sport after a terrible accident that left him with severe injuries. He turned his attention to acting and writing, joining the campus stage productions. Pasdar dropped out of university and returned home, where he worked with the theatre group People's Light and Theatre Company, working on sound, lighting, and set construction. He used his medical compensation to fund his attendance at the Lee Strasberg Theater Institute.
Pasdar's acting career began at the age of 19 when he auditioned for a role in Top Gun. Director Tony Scott was so impressed that he wrote the part of "Chipper" specifically for Pasdar. This led to bigger roles in Solarbabies (1986), Streets of Gold (1986), and Kathryn Bigelow's cult vampire movie Near Dark (1987), where he played the lead role of Caleb Colton. He also appeared in Vital Signs (1990).
Pasdar has continued to act in supporting roles and has directed short films and feature films. He wrote and directed the short film Beyond Belief (1999) and directed Cement (2000), an art-house neo-noir film. He has also appeared in television series such as Profit (1996), Judging Amy, Heroes, and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Additionally, Pasdar has lent his voice to several animated series and video games, including Marvel's Avengers Assemble, Ultimate Spider-Man, and Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H., where he voiced Iron Man/Tony Stark.
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The Dixie Chicks' album 'Gaslighter' and its lyrics about Natalie's divorce
Natalie Maines, the lead vocalist for the Dixie Chicks, married her South Plains College boyfriend, bassist Michael Tarabay, in 1997. The couple moved to Nashville, Tennessee, but within two years they had filed for divorce, citing irreconcilable differences. In 1999, Maines met actor Adrian Pasdar at the wedding of her bandmate Emily Erwin and they married in 2000. Maines filed for divorce in July 2017 and it was finalized in December 2019.
The Dixie Chicks' album 'Gaslighter' was released in July 2020 and its lyrics are largely inspired by Maines' divorce from Pasdar. The title track of the album, 'Gaslighter', is a scathing song in which the subject of Maines' scorn is called a “liar”, a “denier”, and someone who “broke” her. The song references moving to California and Hollywood, and "acting all above it when our friends divorced". The line "Give you all my money, you'll gladly walk away" also rings more like it is directed at an ex than at Donald Trump, who some believe could be the subject of the song. Another line, "Cause, boy, you know exactly what you did on my boat / And, boy, that’s exactly why you ain’t comin’ home", sparked frenzied internet speculation. During their marriage, Pasdar had purchased a boat that he named after Maines: the "Nautalee".
The album covers some of the good, but mostly the bad and ugly parts of dissolving a marriage. It includes references to infidelity, with the song "Tights On My Boat" being a big clue. However, the album is not entirely focused on the negative, with the song "Texas Man" being an ode to finding love again with a man from the Lone Star state who can handle her baggage.
In August 2019, during divorce proceedings, Pasdar requested that the judge give him access to all of Maines' unreleased music, arguing that any content or lyrics about him, their marriage, and their breakup could breach the confidentiality clause in their prenup. However, the album could not be discussed publicly due to ongoing legal disputes.
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Frequently asked questions
Natalie Maines from the Dixie Chicks was previously married to actor Adrian Pasdar.
The couple got married on June 24, 2000, at A Little White Wedding Chapel in Las Vegas.
Yes, they had two sons together: Jackson Slade (born in 2001) and Beckett Finn (born in 2003).
Natalie Maines filed for divorce in July 2017, citing irreconcilable differences. The divorce was finalised in December 2019. The events leading up to their divorce inspired multiple songs on the 2020 album 'Gaslighter'.






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