‘The Pioneer Woman’: Ree Drummond’s 1 Habit Was Almost a ‘Dealbreaker’ For Her Husband When They Met
Ree Drummond has made a name for herself through her popular Food Network show, The Pioneer Woman. Drummond and her husband, Ladd Drummond, live on the family’s ranch in Oklahoma as some of the wealthiest landowners in the United States.
Though Drummond had her fairytale with her husband, he once joked that one of Drummond’s lifestyle choices would have been a “dealbreaker” if she hadn’t changed her ways.
Ree Drummond met her husband, Ladd, in an Oklahoma bar
When Drummond was in college, she had no plans of settling back down in Oklahoma any time soon. Drummond had attended college in California, and after graduating, she had plans to begin law school in Chicago. She hadn’t predicted meeting anybody upon returning to Oklahoma for a short time after graduation — but those plans quickly changed.
While out one night at an Oklahoma bar, Drummond met her future husband for the first time. The two got along right away, and she felt there was something “different” about him. Still, he didn’t call her for four months after their first interaction, so she continued with her life as normal. But when he finally asked her out, those sparks returned. The two wed in September 1996.
Ree Drummond’s choice to be a vegetarian would have been a ‘dealbreaker’ for her husband
Drummond’s husband comes from a prominent Oklahoma family. The Drummond family owns approximately 433,000 acres of land in Pawhuska, Oklahoma, and Ladd currently controls the privately-owned family company, Drummond Land & Cattle Co.
The family makes most of their money through cattle ranching (though, according to Tulsa World, the two are also paid nearly $2 million annually by the Oklahoma government). And with that, Ladd wasn’t used to being around people who didn’t eat meat.
Drummond was a vegetarian in college, and her husband once revealed in an interview with CBS that such a lifestyle choice would have been a “dealbreaker” for him if she hadn’t changed her ways.
“You know she was a vegetarian when you met her,” reporter Alina Cho said to Ladd.
“It would have been [a dealbreaker],” Ladd said. “There’s just no way we could have survived 25 years with her not eating any steak.”
Drummond eventually gave up her vegetarian lifestyle, and now, many of her recipes focus on meat — and she certainly knows how to cook a good steak.
Ree and Ladd Drummond have raised their four kids on the ranch
Drummond and her husband have built quite a life for themselves on their Pawhuska, Oklahoma ranch. The couple have raised four children, one of whom is getting married this year. And now that their kids are older and only one child is still living at home, the two have had a chance to focus on other projects.
In 2016, Drummond opened up her home goods store, the Mercantile, and she later opened up both a restaurant and a bed and breakfast as well. Plus, The Pioneer Woman Magazine launched in 2017.
