Garth Brooks is honest about some of the changes he has made over the years as a parent and a husband. The 61-year-old country music legend acknowledged in a recent interview with Billboard that he wasn’t the finest parent or husband early in his career but has since worked to make up.

Brooks’ first marriage was to songwriter Sandy Mahl; they were united in marriage in May 1986 and were together for 13 years. They eventually got a divorce in December 2001 after separating in March 1999, but not before welcoming three children into the world: Taylor, 30, August, 29, and Allie, 26.

“I sucked at being a husband, I was horrible at it. I was horrible at being a dad. I had to get my s–t together,” Brooks said in his Billboard interview.

He acknowledged the terrible press he had garnered early in his career and stated that he would have been fired if the circumstances had been different.

“I was a lousy husband and man, and it got me on the first page of USA Today. Without social media, I never would have made it through that,” said Garth Brooks. He finally realized that something had to change, so he did when he began dating Trisha Yearwood, a fellow country musician.

The two initially connected in 1988 and quickly became friends, but they didn’t start dating until Brooks and Mahl’s divorce. They dated for three years before Brooks proposed and married on December 10, 2005. They have been blissfully married for the past 17 years.

About his wife, whom he referred to as an amazing “bonus mom” to his three girls, Brooks remarked, “I will tell you this, the person you’re with does make a huge difference in your life.” Over the past 20 years, the pair has frequently extolled their love for one another and knows how to keep things interesting.

Yearwood acknowledged that she and her husband still engage in a lot of flirting in a May interview and that every day is like their first date. In a different interview, Brooks admitted that it was clear why he loved his wife. “Come on, you can see why I’m in love with her,” he said to E! News.

Garth Brooks discussed the cancel culture and how he doesn’t stop listening to bands just because they are canceled in his interview with Billboard. “Don’t assume that The Chicks’ music wasn’t good just because their concert was abruptly canceled. They had excellent music,” he said.

He continued by mentioning some of the musicians from whom he eagerly anticipates hearing new music, including Luke Combs, The Chicks, and Lainey Wilson. For those who are interested, Brooks will begin his new residency in Las Vegas, Nevada, soon and plans to release some new music of his own.

The alternative rock persona of the country music artist, Chris Gaines, is expected to release new music, and he also plans to release a new duets album with his wife, Trisha Yearwood. Fans may catch him perform at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace as part of his new residency there.

And Garth Brooks is now working on other projects as well. In addition to his musical endeavors, Brooks is currently working to open a brand-new bar in Nashville, Tennessee. The establishment will be known as the “Friends in Low Places Bar & Honky Tonk” and be situated at 411 Broadway, in the heart of renowned Lower Broadway.