Rascal Flatts' Jay DeMarcus Says Band Is in 'Different Places' but Will 'Never Say Never' to a Reunion

The former Rascal Flatts bassist said he's "still mourning the loss" of the trio, which went their separate ways in 2020

Former Rascal Flatts bassist Jay DeMarcus is still reeling from saying goodbye to the country trio in 2020 — but the jury remains out on whether they'll ever reunite.

The musician, 52, opened up about the end of Rascal Flatts and its possible (but still uncertain) future on an episode of Savannah Chrisley's podcast Unlocked with Savannah that aired on Tuesday.

"I would want to say never say never. [But] we're in such different places right now and don't really communicate on a consistent basis,” he said. “There are just so many steps that would have to take place in order for us to get back to even talking about it. It’s not too late, I just… I think the further we get away from it the harder it is to put it back together."

DeMarcus released 10 studio albums with Rascal Flatts between 2000 and 2017 alongside singer Gary LeVox, 52, and guitarist Joe Don Rooney, 47. The band was set to say goodbye with a farewell tour in 2020, though it never materialized due to the pandemic.

Related: Gary LeVox Gets Candid About the End of Rascal Flatts: 'I Hate That There Was No Closure'

In the years since going their separate ways, DeMarcus launched his own label, Red Street Records, while LeVox pursued a solo career. Rooney, meanwhile, got sober after he was arrested and charged with driving under the influence in 2021 (he later pleaded guilty and had a one-year jail sentence almost entirely suspended).

DeMarcus said on the podcast that he feels as though the group burned themselves out with endless recording, press and tour cycles, and that he feels there’s a chance they'd still be together had they properly cared for their mental health.

"For us the thing that happened is we burnt the candle at both ends for so long," he said. "It was a never-ending cycle and it did work, but it's hard to put the machine down or put the brakes on when everything is cruising along and going full-speed ahead. For us, we should have taken a break at some point, just a year off to kind of collect ourselves, hit the reset button."

By the time Rascal Flatts was preparing for their farewell tour, DeMarcus said they'd reached the "point of exhaustion," and wanted to start focusing on other things after more than 20 years together.

Related: Rascal Flatts' Jay DeMarcus and Wife Allison 'Put Everything Out There' on New Reality Show

"We had other things that we wanted to do individually," he said. "I think everybody comes to that point too, where no matter how much you love somebody, no matter how much you've been through together, there are always things that you want to do yourself that may not be in line with other partners."

Still, DeMarcus is still emotional over the group's end, and said that he wishes he'd been able to savor his last moments on stage with LeVox and Rooney, as he didn’t know at the time it would be the end.

"In a lot of ways, I feel like I'm still mourning the loss of the Flatts, even though there wasn't an official breakup. Most of my adult life, it’s all that I've known," he said. "To have that stripped away from you, not on your own terms, was a very painful thing. And to not have known in March the 7th of 2020 when we were in New Jersey doing our last show that that was the last time the three of us would be on stage together makes me really sad to think about. To not have had time to give it its proper goodbye and to really savor those moments…"

Though DeMarcus doesn't communicate regularly with his former bandmates, he did acknowledge his pride at Rooney for reaching 19 months of sobriety.

"He's better than I've heard him in 10 years," he said. "He's enjoying having some peace and learning how to live again without his addiction and so I'm really, really, really proud of him and where he's at right now."

For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter!

Read the original article on People.