The Family Scandal That Rocked ‘The Pioneer Woman’ Ree Drummond’s Life
We’ve been watching the Food Network for decades, and while some of our favorites (like Giada De Laurentiis and Bobby Flay) have been there from the very beginning, fans have also fallen in love with some of the newcomers. Ree Drummond has been The Pioneer Woman since 2011, and over the years, fans have loved seeing her cook and hearing about her stories of life on the ranch. We’ve even gotten to know all about her husband, Ladd, and her four kids.
While the Drummonds seem ultra wholesome, it seems Ree’s personal life has been rocked with scandal in the past. Here’s what happened.
Ree’s mother allegedly cheated on her husband with the family’s pastor
While Ree has talked at length in the past about how she wished to live the big city life, she originally grew up in Oklahoma — and when she met Ladd, that’s also where she ended up staying. The Pioneer Woman went through adolescence with her parent’s marriage still intact as well. But drama between Ree’s mother, Gerre, and Ree’s father, William, rocked their town and Ree’s life back in 1996.
According to In Touch Weekly, Ree’s mother, Gerre, was cheating on William with the family’s pastor, Doug Schwert, shortly before Ree’s wedding in 1996. Gerre and Doug reportedly started off as just friends and often were seen doing volunteer work together. While they were both married at the time, the community started to notice that something was amiss. As one former parishioner told In Touch, “It wasn’t right. People were talking.” They even went as far as to call it “a scandal.”
Ree’s parents then divorced just a month after their daughter’s wedding
Ree had a wedding to plan, so the combined stress of her nuptials along with her parents’ scandal was certainly enough to throw her for a loop. According to In Touch Weekly, Ree was particularly upset when her parents decided to divorce. As one local resident told the publication, “Ree was crushed. She kept begging [her mother and father] to stay together.” And just a month after Ree tied the knot, Gerre filed for divorce due to irreconcilable differences.
Unfortunately for Gerre, it seems William didn’t want the divorce to happen at all, which made matters much more difficult. According to documents obtained by In Touch, he wanted to continue living “in a loving and supportive marriage” — though he ended up dropping this stance and going through with the divorce in 1997. Today, like Gerre, William has also remarried.
Ree still seems ultra close with her parents today
No matter how difficult the scandal and divorce was for Ree, it’s all in the past now — and it seems she’s maintained great relationships with her mother and father today. Back in 2014, we remember when she posted all of the amazing qualities she sees in her mother on her blog. Southern Living also reminds us that Ree is constantly posting throwback photos of her mother on her Instagram and reminding us all of Gerre’s best qualities, which include kindness and always seeing the good in everyone.
We may not hear about William as much, but Ree has still featured him in some blog posts as well. Back in 2010, she wrote about visiting her father and his wife, Pat, for Memorial Day. Ree also added a bit about her dad’s background, as he served in Vietnam — something she’s stated she’s ultra proud of. We’re sure even more stories about Ree’s family are to come in the future, as they still all live relatively close to each other and are making memories with Ree’s four kids.
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