Tyler Hubbard Says Florida Georgia Line Breakup Was Brian Kelley’s Idea: ‘It Was Really Unexpected’

Florida Georgia Line’s Tyler Hubbard and Brian Kelley initially shocked fans when they announced their band was breaking up in early 2022.

Years later, Tyler, 37, shockingly explained that the split was largely Brian’s idea.

“For me, it was really unexpected. But BK came to me and said, ‘Man, I’m really feeling like I want to do a solo thing. And I’m like, ‘Really?’ We were just getting out of our first deal. We were kind of in a sweet spot that we had worked for 10 years to get to,” Tyler said during an appearance on Barstool Sports’ “Bussin’ With the Boys” podcast on Tuesday, May 9.

“I’m like, ‘Why don’t we ride this thing out for like five more years, 10 more years, and then we can do the solo thing or whatever.’ But again, like, I wanted to support him,” he added. “He was adamant, like, ‘Nah, now’s my time. I really need to do this for myself.’ And I’m like, ‘Well, hey, whatever you need to do, bro. Like, what do you want from me?’ He’s like, ‘I just want support.'”

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Tyler and Brian, 38, took the stage for a final time as Florida Georgia Line in September 2022.

“This is our last official concert as Florida Georgia Line,” Tyler told the crowd during the concert. “Let’s see what we got left in the tank.”

While both of the performers have been focusing on their solo careers in recent years, Tyler is not opposed to reuniting with Brian to collaborate in the future.

“Like, we’ve had an incredible ride. This is where it’s going to go. Like, let’s do it and crush it, and you never know. Maybe it’ll bring us back together and we can have a reunion tour or whatever,” he shared. “But he definitely initiated the whole thing from the beginning and it kind of – when I say caught me off guard, it wasn’t like we had never mentioned it before – it was just one of those things where I didn’t think it was going to happen then, you know what I mean?”

While previously discussing his musical split from Brian, Tyler admitted that it was a huge adjustment to work solo after working in a duo for so long.

“This was sort of a surprise. This was a career shift, and a big transition for me – going from being in a duo, Florida Georgia Line, to now stepping into this new season of being a solo artist,” Tyler told Entertainment Tonight in January 2023. “And what that looks like and feels like, it’s been really exciting. But it was definitely unexpected and something that BK came to me and wanted to do. And it took me a minute to kind of process that. And I thought, ‘Well, I’ll just be a songwriter, and I won’t do the artist thing.'”