Miranda Lambert Avoided ‘Awkward Run-In’ With Ex Blake Shelton and Gwen Stefani at ACM Awards

Awkward! Miranda Lambert and her husband, Brendan McLoughlin, “avoided” the "Bluebird" artist's ex-husband, Blake Shelton, and his new wife, Gwen Stefani, after both couples walked the red carpet at the 2024 ACM Awards.

“Miranda may not have anything against Blake, but she’s also not looking for any awkward run ins with her ex,” an insider exclusively tells In Touch on Friday, May 17, one day after the award show. “She does avoid him and Gwen at these functions because she feels it’s better to be safe than sorry.”

The source continues, "It’s just a matter of not wanting to create a situation that could ultimately be taken out of context or misconstrued. Miranda knows the public appetite for drama between her and Blake or between her and Gwen is out there and she chooses not to go there."

Despite being in the same building, the exes walked the carpet at different times. Blake, 47, and Miranda, 40, also both performed during the ceremony. Miranda hit the stage first, with Blake and Gwen, 54, performing a duet of their song “Purple Irises” soon after.

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“Miranda has nothing against Blake or Gwen. She’s moved on with Brendan and he’s happy with Gwen,” the insider explains. “If it wasn’t such a high profile event with cameras and reporters everywhere, and they bumped into each other under different circumstances, she wouldn’t have a problem saying hello to Blake and Gwen and even introducing Brendan.”

Miranda and Blake started dating in 2006 and tied the knot five years later. While the country music couple famously said that “divorce was not an option,” the pair shocked fans when they announced their split in July 2015.

“This is not the future we envisioned. And it is with heavy hearts that we move forward separately,” the couple said in their announcement. “We are real people, with real lives, with real families, friends and colleagues. Therefore, we kindly ask for privacy and compassion concerning this very personal matter.”

Since their split, Miranda and Blake have both moved on in their love lives. Miranda famously met Brendan, 32, during a Good Morning America performance in 2018, where he worked security. After a whirlwind romance, the pair tied the knot only three months later in January 2019. Miranda initially kept the wedding news private, revealing the romance to her fans a month later in a Valentine’s Day tribute post.

“In honor of Valentine’s day I wanted to share some news,” Miranda wrote on Instagram at the time. “I met the love of my life. And we got hitched! My heart is full. Thank you Brendan Mcloughlin for loving me for … Me.”

Meanwhile, Blake and Gwen began dating in 2015 while working as coaches on The Voice. They married in a private ceremony in Oklahoma in July 2021.

Although there doesn't appear to be any lingering resentment between the exes, a source exclusively told In Touch in September 2020 that Miranda and her new husband are a "much better match" than she and Blake

“Miranda doesn’t have many regrets,” the insider explained. “But now, she’s with the love of her life, looks back and thinks to herself, ‘What was I doing with Blake?’”