Singer Michelle Branch arrested for domestic assault

Grammy-winning singer Michelle Branch was arrested for misdemeanor domestic assault in Nashville, reports TMZ. The singer’s arrest happened after announcing her split from husband and The Black Keys drummer Patrick Carney on Thursday, following being married since 2019.

In court documents obtained by TMZ, Nashville police came to the scene at around 2 AM after receiving a call about a possible domestic disturbance. Branch was then arrested after admitting to slapping Carney across the face “one to two times,” with Carney not showing any visible injuries. Her bail was set at $1,000, though she was reportedly released from custody in order to breastfeed her and Carney’s six-month-old child.

Before the arrest, Branch made a statement over the couple’s divorce to TMZ on Thursday: “To say that I am totally devastated doesn’t even come close to describing how I feel for myself and for my family. The rug has been completely pulled from underneath me and now I must figure out how to move forward. With such small children, I ask for privacy and kindness.”

Hours before announcing their divorce, Branch had gone onto Twitter and accused Carney of allegedly cheating on her with his manager. The couple were married in 2019 and lived together in Nashville with their two children, along with Branch’s daughter from her previous marriage to bassist Teddy Landau.

Branch became known in the early 2000s for her singer-songwriting abilities on 2001's The Spirit Room and 2003's Hotel Paper, which debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 chart. After collaborating with rock group Santana on “The Game Of Love,” she would go on to win the Grammy Award for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals in 2002. Her fourth studio album The Trouble With Fever is set for release on September 16, accompanied by a nine-stop fall tour.