“My whole identity is that, no matter what, I’m gonna prioritize my wife and my children over my job, over what I do.”
Luke Combs said that on the Jay Shetty Podcast in March. He has a big night ahead on Nov. 18, when he’s up for Entertainer of the Year at the CMA Awards on ABC. But the story behind that line goes back to a hard morning on the other side of the world.
Luke is the North Carolina singer behind “Beautiful Crazy” and his cover of “Fast Car.” He and his wife, Nicole, met at a songwriters festival in Key West in 2016 and married in 2020. Their first son, Tex, was born on Father’s Day, June 19, 2022.
Five months later, they found out Beau was on the way. By then, Luke’s 2023 world tour was already booked. “It’s sold out before we even know we’re pregnant,” he told Jay Shetty.
In August 2023, Luke was in Australia, about 9,200 miles from home. Beau arrived about two and a half weeks early, on Aug. 15.
Luke told Apple Music’s Zane Lowe that he woke up “at around 8am or something like that, Australia time,” and found a text from Nicole. “I’m so sorry, I really tried to not have the baby while you’re gone,” she wrote.
He joined by video. “I got to see him be born, which was awesome,” he said. He paused to hold back tears. “I was supposed to be home and I wasn’t,” he said. “That was real hard.”
He called it “one of the best and one of the worst days in my life at the same time.” Luke sat down with Zane Lowe in June 2024 to talk about his album “Fathers & Sons.” Whiskey Riff’s write-up of the Beau story starts this clip at 30:23.
Luke tells Zane Lowe about the morning Beau was born
In September 2025, Luke and Nicole shared happy news on Instagram. “Third time’s a charm! Baby #3 coming this winter.” They decided not to find out if it was a boy or a girl. They would be thrilled with “any and all lil nuggets,” they said.
That winter, Luke’s calendar had a big date on it. He was booked to headline EA Sports’ Madden Bowl at the Chase Center in San Francisco on Friday, Feb. 6. It was Super Bowl weekend, two nights before the big game. Luke grew up a Carolina Panthers fan and had joked he was “still holding out hope my Panthers will be there too.”
The day before the show, he pulled out.
“So sorry to miss y’all at Madden Bowl, but family always comes first. Have a great time,” Luke told fans. EA Sports explained it simply: “Luke has to hold it down at home with a new one on the way. All love for Luke and his family.”
Zach Bryan stepped in as the headliner. San Francisco 49ers star Christian McCaffrey even sat in on piano with Zach’s band that night. E! News reported on Luke’s decision and the baby on the way.
E! News reports on Luke stepping away from the Super Bowl weekend show
On Feb. 19, Luke shared the baby’s name on Instagram. “Happy due date to the littlest Combs BOY! We’ve loved soaking up these last few weeks of newborn snuggles.” His name is Chet Wiley Combs, and he came a few weeks before his due date.
This time, Luke was home. He still thinks about the one he missed. He told Jay Shetty he dreads the day Beau asks about it. “But you were there for Tex,” he said, speaking as Beau might one day. “Why was I the only one that you weren’t there for?”
A week after Chet’s name went public, Luke shared his best advice for new dads with Bobby Bones on The BobbyCast. “The new team has three players on it now,” he said. “You’re basically point guard. Don’t ever shoot. Just pass.”