If you’ve been keeping tabs on Nashville lately, you know the vibe around Kacey Musgraves has shifted. It’s a bit quieter. More introspective. Honestly, after years of high-profile "butterflies" and very public heartbreak, the Seven-time Grammy winner seems to be leaning into a season of solitude—or at least, a season where she isn't sharing her bed with a human on Instagram.
Everyone wants to know who the current kacey musgraves boyfriend is in 2026.
The short answer? There isn't one. Well, not a human one.
Back in August 2025, Kacey pulled a classic "Spacey Kacey" move and "hard launched" a new relationship that had everyone scrolling twice. It wasn’t a songwriter or a rugged poet. It was a horse. Specifically, a cream-colored beauty named Nava. She met the mare in Oregon, fell in love, and eventually brought her home to Tennessee.
It’s a vibe.
But to understand where she is now, we have to look at the "Deeper Well" she had to dig to get past her last major relationship. People are still catching up on the fact that she and Cole Schafer are ancient history.
The Cole Schafer Era: More Than Just "Copywriting by Day"
When people search for a kacey musgraves boyfriend, Cole Schafer is usually the name that pops up first. They were a "thing" for over two years, which in celebrity time is basically a silver anniversary.
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They met the old-fashioned way. No apps. No PR setups. Just locking eyes in a crowded restaurant. Kacey famously told The New York Times that she loved the fact that he had absolutely no clue who she was.
For a superstar, that’s the ultimate aphrodisiac.
Cole wasn't a country star or a Hollywood actor. He was a writer and poet who went by the pen name "January Black." He ran a copywriting business called Honey Copy. It felt like a match made in indie-heaven—the cosmic country queen and the brooding wordsmith.
They were everywhere for a while.
- The Met Gala.
- Co-founding the Teddy Bear Ball for Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital.
- Instagram posts filled with "forehead kisses" and "Michelin-star pasta."
But by late 2023, the wheels fell off.
The split wasn't a sudden explosion. It was more of a slow fade that became official when they unfollowed each other on social media. By March 2024, Kacey finally confirmed it during an interview with The Cut. She didn't trash him. She just admitted that when she’s in, she’s "all f***ing in," and sometimes that intensity doesn't lead to a "happily ever after."
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Reports suggested they just didn't "gel" anymore. He wasn't a fan of the glitz; she was, well, a global icon.
Why We’re Still Talking About Ruston Kelly
You can't discuss a kacey musgraves boyfriend or partner without mentioning Ruston Kelly. He’s the ghost in the machine of her most famous work.
If Golden Hour was the "high" of their marriage, Star-Crossed was the brutal, cinematic "low" of the divorce. They met at the Bluebird Café in 2016. It was lightning in a bottle. They married in 2017 and filed for divorce by July 2020.
The interesting thing? They are actually still friends.
Unlike many messy Nashville breakups, these two still support each other's music. They post birthday tributes. It’s a mature, slightly heartbreaking look at how love evolves even when it "simply didn't work out," as Kacey told Rolling Stone.
The "Doctor" Rumor and Other Blips
Between Ruston and Cole, there was a very brief moment where everyone thought a Nashville doctor was the new kacey musgraves boyfriend.
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Dr. Gerald Onuoha.
They were spotted together in early 2021, sharing cozy selfies and riding bikes on the Venice boardwalk with the Kardashians (yeah, that happened). It was a classic "rebound" rumor that never really grew legs.
What This Means for Her Music in 2026
Kacey has always been a "heart on her sleeve" writer. If she’s dating, you’ll hear it in the pedal steel. If she’s lonely, you’ll feel it in the lyrics.
Right now, her "relationship" with Nava the horse and her focus on her "Deeper Well" suggests she’s done with the cycle of public boyfriends for a minute. She’s leaning into "English riding" and "full-body awareness."
Basically, she’s found a way to be happy without a man in the frame.
Actionable Insights for Fans and Followers:
- Check the Credits: If you want to know if Kacey is seeing someone new, look at her songwriting credits. She often writes with her partners or about them in real-time.
- Ignore the Tabloid Bait: Unless it comes from her Instagram or a reputable outlet like People or The Cut, most "new boyfriend" rumors are just noise.
- Watch the "Deeper Well" Themes: Her current era is about boundaries. If a new kacey musgraves boyfriend does emerge, expect him to be much more low-profile than Cole or Ruston.
Kacey has proven that she doesn't need a partner to be the most interesting person in the room. Whether she's single or just being private, the music usually tells the real story better than any paparazzi photo ever could.