What Garth Brooks' Ex-Wife Is Doing Today

Before country music sensation Garth Brooks found love with fellow musician Trisha Yearwood, he was married to his high school sweetheart, Sandy Mahl, whom he tied the knot with in 1986. After 15 years of marriage, Brooks and Mahl finalized their divorce in 2001. 

Regarding the reason for their divorce, legal documents cite "irreconcilable differences," but during an interview for his docuseries, "Garth Brooks: The Road I'm On," Mahl gave insight into the strain that Brooks' newfound fame had on their relationship. "People constantly wanting your attention and yanking and pulling on him. He'd be gone eight to 10 weeks at a time," she said. "He'd come home, and there would be number-one parties, or shows, or CMAs, or ACMs, American Music Awards, so it was constantly going. But we both grew apart really, really quickly."

Brooks was ordered to pay Mahl a whopping $125 million in the divorce settlement, but the pair have been able to remain amicable since their separation in 1999. Since then, Brooks has gone on to have a record-breaking career that continues to only take him upward, and he still keeps Mahl close to his heart as the mother of his children. Here's what Mahl is up to today.

The thing that drove them apart is the same quality that brought Garth Brooks and Sandy Mahl together: a passion for music. When they met while attending Oklahoma State University in the 80s, Mahl had aspirations of becoming a songwriter, while Brooks was studying advertising.

Three years after they tied the knot, Brooks' self-titled debut album would come out. Mahl was credited as a writer for one of the tracks, "I've Got a Good Thing Going."

Mahl also aided Brooks with the hit song "That Summer" from his 1992 album, "The Chase." During another docuseries from 1996, "The Garth Brooks Story" (via Wide Open Country), the singer recounted how the ballad came to be. As he tells it, the original concept for the song was about a woman cheating on her husband because he was neglecting her, but his idea was met with disdain as his producer mentioned that it was difficult to root for any of the characters. Now more determined than ever, Brooks and Mahl worked out the kinks during their drive home from that meeting, changing directions with the concept now centering around a teenage boy who loses his virginity to his widowed employer. The song would go number 1 for two consecutive weeks in 1993.

While it's safe to say Sandy Mahl has always been musically inclined, her day job involves giving back to her other true love: animals. She co-founded Wild Heart Ranch with Annette King in Oklahoma back in 1997. She remains on the Board of Directors as "Sandy Mahl Brooks Lynch," per the ranch's website, signifying that she's been re-married since her divorce from Garth Brooks, though she has not spoken on the matter.

The rehabilitation center prides itself on treating sick or injured wild animals and providing them with another chance at life. Annette King summed up its motivations on its home page, stating simply, "Because we all suffer the same." The center's credo furthers this notion: "Our mission is not for personal gain, but to work as an instrument of compassion and provide a haven for those who have no person to claim responsibility."

While they were married, Garth Brooks and Sandy Mahl welcomed three girls; Taylor was born in 1992, August in 1994, and Allie in 1996. Even after their 2001 divorce and the singer publicly proposing to Trisha Yearwood in 2005, the exes were able to maintain an amicable relationship while co-parenting.

In the "Garth Brooks: The Road I'm On" docuseries, the country star recalled what it was like raising his daughters fresh off of his divorce and newly into dating Yearwood. "I'd never wished divorce on anybody, but three children and three parents worked really well ... Never ever did one of those kids take the field where at least one parent wasn't in the stands," he said, adding, "I love music to death, really do. But there's nothing like loving your babies." In a November 2019 interview with The Tennessean, Brooks revealed the well-oiled machine that kept their routine constant. "​​They saw both their parents in the morning and both parents in the evening and for 14 years. That's how we ran it because we knew it was right for those kids. If you did what was right for the kids, you were going to do what was right for you. It was simple."

Now that the kids are grown and out of the house, things certainly have changed. However, it seems Brooks and Mahl are remaining harmonious. After Brooks heard what his ex-wife had said about him being on the road so much, he apologized and gave her the credit she deserved. "It's rare you get to hear the other side. I just saw her and I think I hugged her harder than I ever have now that I know things that either I didn't hear or that she didn't say until now," he said while promoting the docuseries (per Us Weekly).