Country singer Thomas Rhett has opened up about his wife Lauren Akins' longstanding preference for a simple, low-key lifestyle over the trappings of celebrity, revealing that she never expected him to achieve major fame. Speaking on the "Girls In Low Places" podcast, Rhett explained that Akins "craves simplicity, at all costs," a value rooted in her rural upbringing, and said she believed in his talent but knew stardom was rare, so she never counted on it happening.

Rhett recalled that Akins grew up "real country," describing evenings spent lying in the street with her father as he pointed out constellations in the night sky. This grounded background, he suggested, shaped her continued desire for normalcy even as his career took off, informing the couple's approach to balancing public life with their preference for a more modest, down-to-earth existence.