Thomas Rhett leaves Nashville concert in a wheelchair after surprise performance

Miami Herald

15-04-2025

Thomas Rhett gave his Nashville fans everything he had — but it came at a cost.
The 35-year-old country music artist appeared as a guest singer at Forrest Frank's 'Child of God' tour stop in Nashville on April 13 when things went from exciting to painful within minutes.
In a clip shared by Rhett on Instagram, Frank starts to sing the duo's hit song 'Nothing Else' when he invites Rhett — who was sitting in a secluded area in the stands — to perform with him.
'I can't sing Thomas Rhett's verse, right?' Frank asks his audience in the video.
After the cameras and spotlights turned to Rhett, he began making his way down the arena steps when he accidentally tripped and fell before making it to the arena floor.
Rhett immediately stood up and performed the song, but not before the pain settled in.
In the video, Rhett's wife, Lauren Akins, is seen laughing hysterically as she rolls him out of the arena in a wheelchair 30 minutes after the incident.
'You have no mercy at all. Unbelievable!' Rhett says to his wife as she continues to laugh.
Rhett later confirmed that he suffered a broken ankle from the fall.
'You know, every now and then, you just have to sing in a Forrest Frank concert and break your ankle in the process. I gave my all for Tennessee tonight,' Rhett said in the clip.
'@hiforrest told me to pull up and I left in a wheelchair,' he wrote in the caption.
Frank commended his fellow singer in the comment section, calling Rhett an 'ABSOLUTE CHAMPION' for taking one for the team.
Many of Rhett's friends and fans agreed with that sentiment, including singer Garrett Hornbuckle, who commented, 'You handled this like a champ!!!! Seriously man you're the real deal.'
'Bro broke his ankle and performed like nothing happened. That's a pros pro,' wrote photographer Jake Blucker.
Other users couldn't help but relate to his wife's uncontrollable laughing as she pushed him in the wheelchair.
'It's lauren laughing for me,' one user commented, while another wrote, 'OMG! Y'all crack me up! Of course Lauren is laughing.'
Rhett and Akins met in kindergarten and started dating in 2011 before tying the knot the following year, according to Us Weekly.
The couple adopted a daughter, Willa Gray, 9, from Uganda in 2017, per People. They also share three other daughters — Ada James, 7, Lennon Love, 5, and Lillie Carolina, 3.
Rhett's surprise performance — and broken ankle — on April 13 comes less than two months before Rhett kicks off his 'Better In Boots' tour.
Rhett will visit 30 cities across North America 'with direct support from Tucker Wetmore as well as special guests The Castellows or Dasha,' according to a press release.
The tour commences on June 5 at the Walmart AMP in Rogers, Arkansas, and concludes September 26 at the RV Inn Style Resorts Amphitheater in Ridgefield, Washington.