- Garth Brooks spoke about his wife, Trisha Yearwood, during a press conference on Thursday.
- Brooks said Yearwood made the gesture to celebrate their anniversary, but he said no.
Garth Brooks said Trisha Yearwood offered to take his last name after 17 years of marriage, but he refused the "sweet" gesture.
Brooks shared details about Yearwood's idea during a Thursday press conference for his new radio station with TuneIn Radio in Nashville, Tennessee, according to Today. The outlet reported that Yearwood made the offer as a gift for the couple's anniversary.
"(Yearwood) was sweet enough for our anniversary last year to have the documents where her official last name was Brooks," he said.
He added: "I declined it."
The outlet reported that Brooks, who married Yearwood in December 2005, further explained his point of view by saying, "Tradition doesn't count here."
"Jack Yearwood had two daughters: That Yearwood name is Trisha. I'd be fine changing my name to Yearwood," he said. "Tradition doesn't count here. What counts is when you have two celebrities, don't have one swallow the other."
Earlier this week, Brooks' decision to sell Bud Light at his new Nashville bar spurred backlash from some conservative fans. Bud Light faced criticism after they tapped Dylan Mulvaney, a transgender influencer, to appear in a campaign. Despite calls for a boycott against him, Brooks doubled down on his opinion and encouraged fans to visit his bar with "an open mind."
"I think if you know Garth Brooks, no matter how long you've known him, [he's] always been inclusive," he told Entertainment Tonight this month. "We're gonna need each other, trust me. So I think that [with regards to] diversity, inclusiveness, I think what you find is our differences are our greatest strengths."