Instagram Jake Etheridge and MacKenzie Porter
Jake Etheridge, 31, is engaged to Canadian country music singer MacKenzie Porter, 29. The couple has been together since March of 2014 and they are now planning a trip down the aisle!
Etheridge got down on one knee on May 30, 2019. They kept the happy news to themselves for a few weeks before making a public announcement on June 20. Porter wrote on her Instagram account, “YES YES YES YES YES!!! ?Lets get f****** MARRIED baby! We’ve been keeping this little secret for a few weeks now soaking it in with our family and friends and are so excited to share it with the world! @jetheridgemusic you are the best decision I have ever made and I can’t wait to love you forever ❤️❤️”
Etheridge is also a musician and actor. He most recently appeared on the final season of Nashville, which aired on CMT.
Here’s what you need to know.
1. Jake Etheridge Says He Fell in Love With MacKenzie Porter the First Time He Saw Her
Jake Etheridge says that for him, it was love at first sight. He wrote on his Instagram account that he was confident that MacKenzie Porter was the love of his life from the moment he saw her. Apparently, it had something to do with her fashion choice on that day, which gave Etheridge an idea as to her personality.
Etheridge wrote, “I remember seeing Mack for the first time walking into our co-write wearing these crazy peace pants and thinkin I’m gonna marry that girl. I love you bebe ? ”
In an interview with People to publicly announce their engagement, Etheridge shared that he even called his mother on that day to tell her that he had found her future daughter-in-law. “Believe me, I know how it sounds — straight parmesan cheese — but it’s true.”
2. Jake Etheridge Decorated the House With Candles & Roses For the Proposal
Country Singer MacKenzie Porter and Nashville Actor Jake Etheridge Are Engaged t.co/BX55OX9fUh
Jake Etheridge pulled out all of the romantic stops when he decided to ask MacKenzie Porter to marry him. Porter explained to People that the evening of May 30 began with an eight-course dinner in Nashville. They went out to an Indian restaurant.
Porter said that when they arrived back at their home, she could hear the song “The Dark End of the Street” by James Carr playing. “The floor was covered in candles and roses, there was champagne on ice and he instantly got down on one knee. He said all of the sweet things and asked me to do forever with him!”
Etheridge admitted to feeling incredibly nervous beforehand and struggled to act normally through the dinner.
3. Etheridge Was Featured in Porter’s Music Video For ‘About You,’ Which is Actually About a Toxic Relationship
MacKenzie Porter’s single “About You” is actually about a destructive relationship. Jake Etheridge played the boyfriend in the music video, which was released in March of 2019.
Etheridge’s character appears to struggle with alcohol addiction. The two characters are seen together adding alcohol to their coffee cups while sitting in a diner. The lyrics of the chorus include:
“It’s about breakin’ up and wakin’ up
And stayin’ tough, and Makers Mark
Toppin’ off a coffee cup
And pray it does the trick to forget
At least for a little while
It’s about words that hurt, the verses burn
The worst mistakes and lessons learned
And gettin’ what you deserve
Instead of gettin’ back what you had to lose
Yeah boy, this one’s about you.”
Porter told Entertainment Tonight Canada that she had wanted to make an edgy video that was “a little dark. Telling the story of love that is so passionate, yet so toxic. I think we’ve all been in those relationships where the highs are really high and the lows are so low. In my experience, those types of relationships usually don’t end well and that’s the story I wanted to bring to life through the video.”
But Etheridge and Porter have also portrayed a couple in happier times in another music video. They appeared in Jake Owen’s video for “I Was Jack (You Were Diane),” which debuted in 2018. They played high school sweethearts who found each other again after 10 years apart.
4. Jake Etheridge Co-Wrote Several Songs For ‘Nashville’ & Appeared in 7 Episodes in the Final Season
Jake Etheridge is a songwriter, singer, and actor. He has been writing and performing for several years. More recently, he received attention for co-writing several songs for the show “Nashville,” which aired its final 2 seasons on CMT following 4 seasons on ABC.
Etheridge co-wrote songs for seasons 5 and 6 including “As the Crow Flies,” “Bring Me An Angel,” “Good Man,” and “When You Came Along.” You can listen to “When You Came Along” in the video embedded above. Etheridge sang and wrote the duet with Clare Bowen, who played Scarlett O’ Connor on the show.
Etheridge played the character of Sean McPherson in season 6. The character is a war veteran suffering from PTSD who is encouraged by Scarlett to share his songs publicly.
5. Etheridge is a South Carolina Native
Jake Etheridge was born on April 25, 1988. He grew up in Lexington, South Carolina and attended Lexington High School, according to his Facebook page. He has a younger sister named Logan Etheridge Smith. She and their parents appear to still be in the Lexington area, based on online records.
Music has always been in Etheridge’s blood, according to his profile on the Grand Ole Opry website. It states that Etheridge “was born into a family of musicians.”
The profile includes a quote from Etheridge: “I always drive home at night listening to music. I love that moment, it’s my favorite part of the day.”
