Garth Brooks Reflects on Being a 'Horrible' Husband and Father

Garth Brooks is getting candid about the criticism he received over his personal life early on in his career.

In a panel between Brooks and Billboard executive editor Melinda Newman, the country star was asked what life would've been like if social media had been around during his rise to fame.

"I was on the front page of the USA Today for being a bad husband and man," he said about his messy divorce from his wife of 15 years, Sandy Mahl, in 2000, after becoming interested in his now-wife, Trisha Yearwood, while married to his ex.

Brooks added, "I'd have never survived that if there had been social media, ever…I sucked at being a husband, I was horrible at it. I was horrible at being a dad. I had to get my s--t together."

He then referenced his marriage to Yearwood, noting, "I'm not saying I do [have it together], but I will tell you this—the person you're with does make a huge difference in your life."

In addition to reflecting on his first marriage, Brooks teased the return of his alter-ego, Chris Gaines. "The Gaines project was a lot of time put in—because it's not natural, you're acting on a record—but I want to do it simply for people who love the Gaines project," he said. "And selfishly, I love the Chris Gaines record, so I want to do it for me. It challenged me as a vocalist. So I don't know when we're going to get to it, but it's on the list."

He also revealed he's working on a couple of duet albums: one with Yearwood, and one with an artist who hasn't been revealed yet.