Maren Morris & Justin Assada: Romance Before ‘Southern Hospitality’
Bravo’s “Southern Hospitality” star Justin Assada confirmed a brief romantic relationship with Grammy-winning country singer Maren Morris, revealing she shared unreleased music with him during their time together. The disclosure, made in an interview with Swooon published Thursday, sheds light on a previously understated chapter in both of their lives.
Assada, who joined the cast of “Southern Hospitality” in its fourth season, stated that he and Morris “dated for a little bit” in 2024, following her divorce from Ryan Hurd. The connection became public when Assada posted a photo of Morris to his Instagram Story in August of that year, captioned “Scary movies + Sushi.”
“She’s a wonderful woman, highly intelligent, very talented,” Assada told Swooon. “I think at the time, I was 26, 27 years aged, probably took it for granted and was kind of an idiot about it.” He jokingly attributed the initial public attention to an ill-advised social media post while under the influence.
Beyond the initial spark, Assada described receiving demos of Morris’s music before its official release. “She was sending me demos before it came out,” he said, praising her talent. Morris released the album “Dreamsicle” in 2025, and Assada admitted he hadn’t yet listened to it, leaving open the possibility that their relationship inspired some of the songwriting.
The relationship concluded when Assada moved to Australia shortly after, reportedly for another relationship, according to earlier reports. Despite the brief duration, Assada expressed fond memories of the romance, calling it “an honor” to have been close to Morris.
Assada’s path since then has included appearances on the Netflix reality shows “Surviving Paradise” in 2023 and “Perfect Match” in 2024, as reported by Newsbreak. More recently, he has been linked to “Southern Charm” star Charley Manley, with reports surfacing in March 2026 of a relationship dating back to September 2025, according to Reality Blurb. Manley had recently ended a brief relationship with fellow “Southern Charm” cast member Craig Conover.