Why Did Florida Georgia Line Break Up? Politics Might Have Played A Part

An unfortunate reality of the music industry is that not all bands or partnerships are built to last. Regardless of their popularity or commercial accomplishments, some groups simply cannot withstand personal differences and external factors to prolong their success beyond a certain point. Such was the case for country duo Florida Georgia Line who, despite regularly cranking out radio-friendly hits like "Cruise" and "This Is How We Roll" since 2010, ultimately fizzled out in 2022. While many bands fall apart due to factors like creative differences or even jealousy between bandmates, an untold truth regarding Florida Georgia Line's internal issues is that they might also have been more deeply rooted in politics. 

Though super wealthy singer Brian Kelley's desire to go solo understandably had much to do with why they decided to break up, his equally rich longtime bandmate, Tyler Hubbard, acknowledged that their differing ideologies and other factors likely played major roles in the matter too. "I'd be naïve to say it had nothing to do with differences of opinion and difference of geographic location and nothing to do with social media, but the decision would have been the same, regardless," Hubbard admitted in a 2023 interview with Rolling Stone. Onlookers might have taken this notion to heart when Hubbard reportedly unfollowed Kelley's Instagram in 2020 in light of that year's presidential election.

Florida Georgia Line were notably a hot topic at the 2020 CMA Awards but their breakup generated even more headlines. According to Tyler Hubbard, singer Brian Kelley wished to pursue a solo career after they spent over a decade performing together. The musical duo reinforced their motives in 2024 after taking a two-year hiatus from working together. "For me, it was really unexpected," Hubbard confessed on the "Bussin' With The Boys" podcast. "BK came to me and said 'man, I'm really feeling like I wanna do a solo thing.'" Though Hubbard was caught off guard, he was still willing to support his bandmate. While their reasoning for disbanding seems cut and dry, it could also have been politically charged.

Despite their supposed political differences, Hubbard expressed that he still wished to remain cordial with Kelley (even after unfollowing him). "I even called him and told him, I said, 'Hey buddy, I love you. And I love you a lot more in real life than on your stories right now," he shared on SiriusXM's "Exit 209 with Storme Warren," (via Us Weekly). However, Kelley reiterated that regardless of their disagreements, there's no issue between them. "I wouldn't even call it a beef thing," he later clarified on "Bussin' With The Boys," adding, "I don't think this is really a beef situation. But I do think it's important to speak my truth."