After announcing a hiatus earlier this year, country duo Florida Georgia Line played their last show together at the Minnesota State Fair on Thursday (August 31st).
Tyler Hubbard confirmed he and Brian Kelley were “taking a break” in February, but breakup rumors have followed Florida Georgia Line since 2020, when the artists had a rather public disagreement regarding the election. While Hubbard had been a vocal critic of President Trump, and his wife, Hayley, posted her support of Vice President Kamala Harris, Kelley swung in the other direction, hinting at his support of the outgoing president. Eventually, Hubbard and his wife unfollowed Kelley on Instagram altogether, with Hubbard confirming that he simply didn’t want to see Kelley’s posts about Trump.
“I unfollowed BK for a few days while we were in the middle of this election and everything going on,” Hubbard said in 2020. “And 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. That’s why I’m unfollowing you. Nothing personal. I still love you. You’re still my brother.’”
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Around the same time, Hubbard dealt with a positive case of the coronavirus, which forced him to sit out the 2020 CMA Awards. While he had a good excuse, the optics of only half of a duo appearing at an event in which they were nominated for Vocal Duo of the Year didn’t help quell breakup rumors. Then, in 2021, Kelley released his first solo album, Sunshine State of Mind, while Hubbard teamed up with Tim McGraw for the single “Undivided.”
Still, Florida Georgia Line insisted that no breakup was in sight until their February announcement, which stressed the word “break” over “breakup.” “We’re not going our separate ways,” Kelley told People. “We’re taking a break from recording our music. We’re being artists. We love creating. And so a couple years back, we started writing without each other and trying different writers, and now we’re both doing that with our music.”
Before fully pursuing solo careers, Kelley and Hubbard said goodbye to Florida Georgia Line at the Minnesota State Fair, where Hubbard thanked the crowd for their success. “You’ve enabled us to chase this crazy dream of writing songs and playing shows and hoping somebody will show up to listen, so thank you guys,” he said. “It’s very exciting for us to look at what’s ahead, see what’s next. And the next chapter ahead is very exciting, but we wanna celebrate this chapter with you guys.”
Hubbard then led the crowd in a singalong of “H.O.L.Y.” before the band launched into “Cruise,” the 2012 hit that kickstarted their career. At the end of the song, he and Kelley hugged before exiting on opposite sides of the stage. Check out footage of the Florida Georgia Line’s last show below.