Rascal Flatts guitarist Joe Don Rooney sets 'record straight' on transitioning rumors

Joe Don Rooney is opening up about his health and rumors of the Rascal Flatts guitarist transitioning.

The musician took to X, formerly Twitter, in a lengthy post to address the rumors as well as his arrest for driving under the influence in 2021, after largely being absent from the platform.

"It’s actually been a couple years since I’ve engaged with fans and friends on Twitter (now X) or Instagram," he wrote. "But I figured today, at the beginning of this brand new year 2024, would be a good day to send a message out to the world."

Rooney then put to rest the rumors about him transitioning to be a woman.

"That thought has never entered my mind," he said. "Nothing against the trans community whatsoever but I needed to set the record straight."

He continued on to recount the details of his arrest. In September 2021, Rooney was charged with driving under the influence near Nashville. Police arrested the guitarist after a car crash, a Williamson County Sheriff's Office spokesperson confirmed.

The sheriff's office reported Rooney, who lives in Nashville, crashed into a tree. Rooney was booked into the Williamson County jail and released the same morning.

In 2022, Rooney pleaded guilty to the DUI charges. He was sentenced to one year in jail but served two days after his remaining sentence was suspended. Rooney also lost his driver's license.

"I ran square into a tree and about killed myself," he wrote. "I was drunk and I was so far gone with my life - I was completely out of control and finished with trying to fight the fears, depression and anxieties that had spun me out in a way I’ve never experienced before."

He continued: "My drinking had been an issue for many years ... It's a progressive disease. I am living proof that the progressive nature of drinking can really ratchet up and as I grew older as an adult my drinking grew worse."

Rooney wrote that pressures in his career, as a member of the country trio Rascal Flatts, and pain and trauma from his upbringing and personal life, became "too much to bear."

"I was not a good father - I was not a good husband - and I was not a good band mate to my business partners," he wrote. "I probably would’ve never taken responsibility for any of this if it hadn’t been for my car wreck."

He said that God led "me into that tree safely enough to not kill me - and luckily nobody else was involved and I didn’t injure or kill anyone."

Rooney shared that he underwent four months of treatment for his alcoholism in a Utah facility, referencing the Alcoholics Anonymous program.

On Jan. 13, he said, he will celebrate 28 months of sobriety.

"I never believed I could actually live my life without drinking. It had become such a huge part of my daily and nightly routine," he wrote. "I had tried to stop on my own in the past but the powerful nature of alcohol always found its way back into my life."

Rascal Flatts guitarist Joe Don Rooneycharged with DUI after crashing into tree, police say

He continued: "I have new healthy boundaries for the first time in my life. Only positive, loving, caring & understanding people may enter. It’s an absolute blessing in ways I can barely put into proper words."

He ended the post by wishing fans an "amazing 2024."

"Thank you for all the love, support and prayers," he said. "I promise you, I’ve felt them all and I’m super appreciative."

In January 2020, Rascal Flatts announced plans for a farewell tour, which they later canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Over the course of their two-decade run, the trio — featuring Gary LeVox, Jay DeMarcus and Rooney — has scored 31 top 10 hits on Billboard's country airplay chart, including 14 No. 1 singles. With a signature sound blending country tradition with a pop spirit and arena rock, the group has sold an estimated 23 million albums.

Contributing: Natalie Neysa Alund and Cole Villena, Nashville Tennessean

If you suspect you or someone you know needs help with alcohol abuse, you can call the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357) or visit https://findtreatment.gov.

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