Brooks Laich Opens Up About Wife Julianne Hough Not Taking His Last Name: “It Was a Little Jarring”

Julianne Hough’s husband Brooks Laich is opening up about his marriage. On the latest episode of his iHeart Radio podcast, How Men Think, the hockey player candidly spoke about his wife’s choice not to take his last name.

“I don’t find it disrespectful,” he shared. “I’m obviously open to it, but at the start, yeah, it was a little jarring for me.”

Laich shared with his co-host, singer Gavin Degraw, that their discussions on the topic were held prior to their wedding in summer 2017. “When we first met and got engaged and stuff, we had this conversation and I was like, ‘I want you to take my last name,’” he revealed. “I said that. It was important to me.”

Ultimately, the couple never came to an agreement on the matter. However, it’s not currently posing a problem for Laich. “To me right now, it’s not that big of an issue,” he said. “We don’t have any kids right now, but she doesn’t have my last name.”

He added, “I will say I didn’t think that initially—I figured it would be an issue—but I’m surprised for myself now that it’s not… But, it will be interesting to see when we have kids. When we have children, I would want them to have my last name, our last name.”

When the time comes to expand his family, Laich envisions his kids either taking his last name or a combination of his and Hough’s. “I’m actually kind of surprised that it hasn’t become an issue in our relationship because I do, as a man, I take pride in the last name and being, having that last name as the family name and especially when we have kids, I think that will amplify,” he expressed.

Ultimately, he says that the decision to take his last name is one that’s completely up to his wife. “I think it’ll always be an ongoing discussion but I’m not going to make my wife change her last name if she doesn’t feel comfortable, but I don’t think that creates a division within our relationship.

Addressing tough topics is a pinnacle in any relationship, along with navigating a resolution that pleases both you and your partner. However, a disagreement like Hough and Laich’s initial beliefs about name changes isn’t a sign of an impending relationship problem. Instead, it can serve as a building block to ultimately strengthen and improve a marriage.

The couple previously opened up to E! News about the steps they’ve already taken to improve their partnership. “We say this: We want to have the best f—ing relationship ever,” Laich shared. For them, that means prioritizing each other and getting professional help when they need it.

While they were in a long-distance relationship, they understood that compromising was the best way to meet each others’ needs. “Our relationship was long distance, but we always wanted to celebrate and support that the other person was living their dream, so I never told my wife, ‘You have to move here and support me while I play hockey’ and she said, ‘You never have to give up hockey to come here,'” Laich explained.

After they were married, they also sought out the help of a virtual sex therapist help to assist with intimacy issues. After taking a quiz to determine which areas they needed most help with, Hough told E!, “By almost learning each other’s language… it was almost like a menu of how we could please each other sexually, but also intimately.”

According to Lasting, the marriage-health app backed by The Knot, 40% of couples in America aren’t completely satisfied with their relationship and feel that they could improve both for themselves and their partner. Additionally, only 6% of couples say that they are satisfied with how they deal with conflict.

Given this, there’s a rise in couples who seek out professional help online, whether it be via virtual quizzes, like what Hough and Laich did, or through apps like Lasting.

Ultimately, Laich told E! that he hopes his relationship with Hough can serve as inspiration for other couples dealing with similar struggles. “We feel very fortunate with the strength of our relationship and the present love we have in our life and we want that for everybody. We’re starting to open up about it more.”

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