It was late September 2012. Sunset Strip. A bar called The Den. At the time, Jason Aldean was basically the king of country music, riding high on the success of "My Kinda Party." But by the next morning, the only party people were talking about was the one captured in grainy paparazzi photos.
The images were unmistakable. There was Aldean, very much married to his high school sweetheart Jessica Ussery, getting extremely cozy with a woman who wasn’t his wife. That woman was Brittany Kerr, a former American Idol contestant and Charlotte Bobcats cheerleader. When the internet saw those photos, the question did Jason Aldean cheat on his wife wasn't just a whisper—it was a roar.
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Honestly, the fallout was messy. It wasn't just a "he said, she said" situation because the receipts were right there in high definition.
The Night That Changed Everything
Most people remember the "bar kiss" as a singular moment of bad judgment. On September 26, 2012, TMZ leaked the photos. You’ve probably seen them: Jason in his trademark ball cap, leaning in close to Brittany Kerr. It wasn't just a friendly chat. It was a full-on make-out session at a public bar in West Hollywood.
Aldean didn't hide for long. He actually took to Facebook just a few days later, on September 30, to address the elephant in the room. He admitted he "screwed up." He blamed it on having too much to drink and letting the party get out of hand. He told fans he acted "inappropriately" but insisted he left the bar alone and caught the bus to his next show.
Brittany Kerr also issued an apology. She called it a "lapse in judgment." Interestingly, reports at the time suggested she didn't even know he was married, though that's always been a point of contention among fans. People were furious. The "homewrecker" labels started flying, and for a while, it looked like the scandal might actually sink his career.
Did Jason Aldean Cheat On His Wife Before the Photos?
This is where things get a bit complicated. While the 2012 incident is the only one with photographic proof, the timeline of his divorce from Jessica Ussery raised a lot of eyebrows. After the scandal broke, Jason and Jessica tried to make it work. They appeared together at the 2012 CMA Awards in November, looking like a united front.
But the cracks were too deep. By April 2013, Jason officially filed for divorce in Williamson County, Tennessee, citing "irreconcilable differences."
The math just didn't feel right to some fans. If it was just one drunken night at a bar, could a 12-year marriage—and a relationship that started in high school—really fall apart that fast? A few months later, Jason and Brittany were spotted together again. By March 2014, they officially confirmed they were dating.
- September 2012: The bar incident happens.
- April 2013: Jason files for divorce from Jessica.
- March 2014: Jason and Brittany go public as a couple.
- September 2014: They get engaged.
- March 2015: They get married in Mexico.
When you look at that sequence, it's easy to see why the public remained skeptical. Jason has always maintained that his relationship with Brittany didn't truly start until after his separation, but the optics were tough. He even went on a bit of a social media rant in 2014, telling people to "get over it" and stop judging his personal life. He basically told the world that nobody knew what was happening behind closed doors in his first marriage.
The Reality of the Fallout
You've got to wonder how Jessica Ussery felt during all this. She’s stayed remarkably quiet over the years, which is probably the classiest move she could have made. They share two daughters, Keeley and Kendyl, and by all accounts, they’ve managed to co-parent effectively.
The narrative often gets simplified. People want a villain and a victim. In this case, Brittany became the villain in the eyes of many country music traditionalists. Jason was the guy who "made a mistake." But marriages are rarely that binary. Jason later told Robin Roberts in an interview that he wasn't happy in his marriage at the time of the incident. He admitted he let his guard down.
It’s a classic Nashville story, really. Fame, alcohol, and the pressure of the road colliding with a long-term relationship that maybe had already run its course. Does that excuse the behavior? For many, no. But it does provide context for why a "single mistake" turned into a brand-new life.
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Why People Still Talk About It
Fast forward to 2026, and Jason and Brittany are one of the most visible power couples in country music. They have two kids together, Memphis and Navy. They seem incredibly happy. Yet, every time Jason posts a photo of his wife, the comments section inevitably brings up 2012.
The internet never forgets.
The reason the question did Jason Aldean cheat on his wife stays relevant isn't just about the gossip. It’s about the shift in his brand. He went from the "family man" high school sweetheart to a more polarizing figure. His music changed, his public persona got edgier, and his family life became a focal point of his social media presence.
If you’re looking for the bottom line, here it is: Jason Aldean admitted to "acting inappropriately" while married. He later married the woman he was caught with. Whether you call that a "mistake" or a "betrayal" usually depends on your own values, but the facts of the timeline are right there for everyone to see.
How to process celebrity scandals like this:
- Look at the official statements: Always check what the individuals involved actually said at the time versus what the tabloids "sourced."
- Check the timeline: Separations often happen long before a divorce filing is made public.
- Acknowledge the nuance: Very few people know the actual state of a marriage except the two people in it.
- Evaluate the growth: See how the parties involved have handled themselves in the years following the event.
The best thing to do if you're a fan is to separate the art from the artist—or don't. That’s the beauty of being a listener. You get to decide whose stories you want to support.