Jake Owen and Girlfriend Erica Expecting a Baby
Jake Owen and his girlfriend, Erica Hartlein, are expecting a baby. The singer shared the news with his parents — and the world — during the ABC News Special I'm Coming Home on Thursday night (Nov. 22).
The episode took the "Down to the Honkytonk" singer back to his hometown of Vero Beach, Fla., where he visited his parents, Mitzi and Steve, and twin brother Jarrod, and sat them down to share the good news.
"This will throw you guys for a loop," he said. "Erica and I will be having a little addition to our Owen family."
Erica, seated on his lap, just blushed. Owen's dad, the proud grandfather, remarked that he’s rooting for a boy, while his mom, Mitzi, hopes it'll be twins.
"We don't need twins," Owen chimed in. The baby is due in late spring or early summer, People reports.
The I'm Coming Home special aired on Thanksgiving, Nov. 22 — his older daughter, Pearl's, sixth birthday. She's his first and only child with ex-wife Lacey Buchanan, from whom he split in late 2015. Buchanan is also expecting a baby, according to a post on her personal Instagram page which includes "Big Sister" messaging from Pearl.
"My life sometimes seems like it’s just this carousel that’s moving really fast and it never tends to stop, and you have to be the one to step off the ride from time to time and go back to what really matters … like family," Owen says.
Erica, an interior designer, and the country superstar have been together since at least 2017, but he hasn't been forthcoming about their relationship on social media. They did, however, walk the ACM Awards red carpet together earlier this year.
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