Struggle Jennings' Wife Tabitha Harness Is His Longtime Friend
Rapper Struggle Jennings and Tabitha Harness have known each other for decades, but it took them a long time to fall in love.
When rapper Struggle Jennings met Tabitha Harness, he never imagined she would be more than a friend. Twenty years later, she is Struggle Jennings' wife.
Jennings and Harness lived one of those romances that only seem to happen in rom-coms, where the guy and girl are best friends, then suddenly realize the love they've been looking for in all the wrong places is right there.
Brantley Gilbert, Jelly Roll and Struggle Jennings onstage at the New Faces of Country Music Dinner on March 15, 2023 in Nashville, Tennessee. | Source: Getty Images
Country rapper/singer-songwriter Struggle Jennings was born on May 31, 1980, in Nashville, Tennessee; music is in his DNA. His grandparents were rock guitarist Duane Eddy and country musicians Jessi Colter and Waylon Jennings.
Jennings has two brothers, Chad Dile, and Brian Shoemaker, and his childhood friends were Lisa Cole and Twyla Dile. The rapper has recorded albums with his mother, Jenni Eddy Jennings, and his daughter Brianna Harness.
He has collaborated with rapper Jelly Roll and singers Jeremy Penick and Julie Roberts. Even though he was practically born and raised on a stage, Jennings is married to a woman who is shy and avoids publicity.
Tabitha Harness Spent Her Childhood in a Garage
Jennings revealed in an interview that Tabitha is the shyest girl he has ever met, and because she was raised fixing cars in a garage, she isn't always at ease in social situations.
Tabitha and Jennings were best friends for over 15 years. They had been in relationships, and Tabitha had even lived in Jennings' house and helped raise his children.
Jennings has had to help his three youngest children deal with the loss of their mother.
When Jennings went to jail, he did some soul searching and realized the person he wanted to share his life with was Tabitha. All he had to do was convince her he was an excellent romantic prospect.
Tabitha Harness and Struggle Jennings Were Good Friends at First
Both Tabitha and Jennings were in relationships before they married, and they both have children. The father of Tabitha's children passed away in 2021, and the mother of Jennings' youngest three died in 2019.
The rapper had to talk Tabitha into giving him a chance; at first, she refused even to contemplate the possibility of starting a romantic relationship with him. Tabitha wrote on Instagram on their fourth anniversary:
"Thank you for fighting for us even when I wasn’t so sure, thank you for loving me for me & never giving up! You Sir are the better half of me & id rather die than live a moment without you! (sic)"
Jennings didn't give up, and to this day, they are idyllically happy, raising their blended family together. The rapper pays tribute to Tabitha, calling her the "most chill girl he ever met."
Struggle Jennings' Daughter Followed in His Footsteps
With a father, grandparents, and great-grandparents in music, it isn't surprising that Jennings' daughter Brianna Harness has followed them into the family business: music. Brianna is very aware of the weight of that legacy:
"As I've gotten older, and the more I've gotten into music, I feel like they definitely set huge stepping stones and paved the way for me. A lot of artists don't really have that privilege ... but it also set high standards -- very high standards."
Jennings greatly admires Brianna's talent, but their relationship was stressed. The rapper was in jail, Brianna's mother struggled with drugs, and she was forced to leave home at 15.
Brianna has come to terms with the past and embraced her musical heritage; her family's songs are part of her repertoire.
Jennings has had to help his three youngest children deal with the loss of their mother and the threatened separation from her last child, their half-sibling, Bobby.
The rapper revealed that he, Tabitha, and their children have connected with the couple who adopted Bobby, and the two families are committed to giving the little boy a good life.